Justice League Academy: Obstacles
by YourAngelicVampyre
Summary: The world will always need its heroes. Unfortunately, the Justice League won't always be around to save the world. So, an institute for young heroes was established where they will hone in their skills and powers. Thirty students must band together and face the obstacles that could very well kill them. With a serious threat lurking about, will they survive? RobRae.
1. Meetings Close to Midnight

**Disclaimer** - I do not own Teen Titans or the Justice League. I'm just toying around with an idea I had that featured people from both groups.

**A/N** - Hey guys. In this story, the founders in this story are going to be characters that were in the show The Justice League. That means, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Flash (Wally West, not Barry Allen), Green Lantern (John Stewart, not Hal Jordan), and the Martian Manhunter are going to be considered the founders of the group.

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><p>Raven prowled the streets of Jump City, listening intently for any signs of danger. The Azarathian girl's skin was smooth and was a pale gray. Her violet eyes betrayed no emotion whatsoever. The girl's violet hair was cropped up to her shoulders and was impeccably straight. A diminutive red jewel, known as a Chakra, was placed in the center of her forehead. Her body figure was curvy and she wasn't very tall. Her body was currently clad in a black hoodie and tight, black jeans. Combat boots covered her feet. She wore this outfit for the sole reason of trying to look normal and to help her blend in with the darkness.<p>

A couple of nights ago, Raven had left Azarath in order to protect Earth from evil. By some bizarre outcome, she had ended up in the city next to Gotham City, the place Batman resided and protected. She listened to stories about his accomplishments, and decided to start small with her encounters. In the past two nights, Raven had stopped two men from raping these two women and has prevented a robbery.

Raven was currently near the borderline of Gotham City, walking past dodgy shops and dark alleys. She had just passed a small tattoo shop, when she heard it. A shrill scream. The pale girl quickly flew into the air, and headed towards the voice. In less than a minute, Raven finally reached the sound of the voice. She landed gently on the uneven asphalt, unseen.

Three women and a man were being backed up against a brick wall by three grown men who were wielding guns. A plump woman, the one who had screamed, was begging for the armed men to see reason and avoid any conflicts of violence.

The tallest man raised his gun, and growled, "Sweetheart, you're just asking for a quicker death. Now, open your purse!"

Now seemed like the time for Raven to act. She encased the weapons with her dark aura, and smashed them against the brick wall. The villains whirled around in surprise, only to see nobody there. They looked at each other in apparent bewilderment and confusion.

Raven appeared behind them. "Looking for me?" She then kicked the smallest guy in the stomach, sending him flying back into his colleague.

The man who seemed to be the leader aimed a punch at her face, but she caught his fist, and twisted his arm in an uncomfortable position. He snatched his arm away, feinting a kick to her shin, before pushing her forcefully against the wall.

"You working for the Bat?" The man asked, his grip on her forearms tightening.

Raven hissed in response, and several pebbles started pelting the man in the head. He hardly flinched.

"Feisty, huh? How 'bout you and I go somewhere private, and solve some unfinished business, sweetheart?"

Raven's body disappeared, and a few seconds later she appeared behind the man. "How about I kick your ass, instead?" Trash bags from a dumpster dropped on the man.

One of the men leaped towards Raven, and she produced a shield around herself, which sent him flying backwards. The other man stood up, and aimed a series of blows at her. She avoided every single one, before landing a couple of hits on him. She surrounded him with darkness, then lifted her arm and moved it to the left. His body followed her motions. After he was rendered unconscious, she turned back to the two other men. She was barely aware that the group of innocent people were watching the scene in awe.

Both men ran at her from both sides. She stood still, waiting. At the last moment, she transported a few feet away, in time to see the men run into each other. The smallest one crumpled, down for the count. The one man remaining growled, before removing a dagger from the pocket of his coat, pointing it at the Azarathian.

"So, you really want to play with knives?" Raven took out a pair of kunai knives that were strapped to her jeans.

The man grunted, and lunged towards her, trying to slice her arm. She parried the attack with the knives. While she continued blocking the attacks with ease, the man was beginning to fatigue. She managed to slash his cheek with a knife, and he winced as crimson blood slowly trickled down his chin. Meanwhile, Raven had wrapped an abandoned car in her aura, and it went spinning into the alley, crashing into the muscled man's body. The man had jumped out of the way at last second, and had only been hit with a tire, albeit forcefully. However, he was starting to black out. As a final attempt of dispatching Raven, he threw his knife.

He missed his mark.

The dagger soared past Raven's outstretched arm, and embedded itself into the chest of the one of the innocent people backed up against the wall. The man that was accompanying the three women. He grunted in pain, and collapsed on the ground, blood oozing onto the pavement.

Raven immediately dropped on all fours, and kneeled next to the man. Two of the women were shocked beyond words. The other, a pretty woman with red hair, was screaming her head off, worried to death about the man who was her lover. Raven put her hand on the man's forehead, easing the pain slightly. Gently, she took the dagger out of his chest, which caused more blood to to spill onto the ground. She raised her hand over the wound, and started healing the gash. Slowly, the blood disappeared, and the laceration was closing up. After a few minutes, the only remaining signs of the wound was a pale scar.

Raven stood up, and said, "I've done the best I could with healing him, but I suggest making sure he rests for a few days. No strenuous acts, or else it might open up again. Give him plenty of water, also. Follow those directions, and he should be fine."

The red-haired woman thanked Raven profusely and shook her hand a plethora of times. From the body contact, Raven learned that a gang from Gotham City had been threatening her, so she had her next door neighbor and sister come and protect her, along with her husband. They had been leaving a movie theater, when the goons snuck up on them and backed them into an alley.

The plump woman, the sister, offered to give Raven one hundred dollars, but Raven declined the offer. Raven walked with them to their car that was three blocks away. After making sure they were okay, they drove away, and Raven watched them leave.

"You did a good job back there... for an amateur."

Raven whirled around, only to come face to face with the notorious Batman. She cursed under her breath for letting him sneak up on her. "I thought you protected Gotham City," she said in her average monotone voice.

"It was close enough to Gotham City for it to receive my attention," he replied.

Raven studied his appearance. He was wearing his uniform, which didn't surprise her. The tight gray material showed muscles, and a black logo of a bat was in the middle of his chest. He wore his mask, which obscured his features. His cape fluttered in the air behind him, the wind whipping at it wildly, making it look like the wings of a bat.

"So, let's see," he said. "Teleportation abilities, flight, telekinesis, and healing abilities. Anything else?"

Raven crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe."

She started to walk away, but a hand clamped on her shoulder. "You ever heard of the Justice League?"

"Of course."

"We're starting an institute for people like you, kids with extraordinary powers, and we'll teach them how to use their powers wisely and for the good of man-kind. Submissions are due within a week, and on the first of next month, every young hero will be tested and have an interview with the main members of the Justice League. If you get in, you'll learn how to control your powers with your classmates. And, personally, I believe that you're good enough to get in. You can get submission forms at any police department, by the way."

"I'm not interested."

"So, you're not interested in protecting the world? Did I understand that correctly?"

"No, I do. I just don't do very well with crowds."

"Funny. Neither do I," he smirked.

"Lovely. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go."

"At least think about it. One day, the main members of the Justice League will be gone. We need heroes who will continue protecting the world from harm. Preferably ones that know what they're doing. So, once again, all submission forms are due at midnight on Sunday. Just go to a police station, and they'll know what to do."

Raven looked away, biting her lip. Surrounding herself with people seemed like a bad idea. They were bound to get hurt; which was something she wanted to avoid. She looked back at the place Batman was standing earlier, only to find him gone. She swore under her breath, before launching up in the air, flying.

When she arrived at her hotel room, she immediately opened the balcony door and stared at the stars overhead. The scenery on this planet could sometimes really captivate her, even if the beauty could never match that of Azarath. For example, the intricate pattern of the stars and how it always seemed to change was something that always seemed to awe the girl. It really was a pity how a superfluous amount of humans never seemed to appreciate the beauty of it.

After heaving a great sigh, Raven levitated herself into the air and crossed her legs. She closed her eyes, clearing her mind of any thoughts or emotion. After a few moments, she started chanting her mantra, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Soon enough, she was completely oblivious to her surroundings.

That turned out to be a big mistake. Suddenly, her waist was wrapped with a strong cord, causing her body to fall on the balcony floor. Her eyes snapped open, searching around for the threat. She didn't even notice a flowerpot break a few feet away from her.

In front of her, standing on the thin railing of the balcony, was a boy dressed like a walking traffic light. The boy had spiky jet-black hair and his eyes were covered by a mask. His costume was an assortment of green, red, and yellow. In all, his costume appeared absolutely ludicrous and garish.

"What's with the mask?" Raven asked bitterly, as she started untangling herself from the cord.

The masked boy tilted his head to the side, studying her appearance. "What's with the hood?"

"Fair enough," Raven remarked dryly. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The masked boy jumped off the ledge of the balcony, landing gracefully onto the concrete. "The name's Robin. For a couple of days, I've been wondering who has been helping me out in Jump City. I couldn't figure it out, so I went to talk to the Bats, and he told me about your little meeting."

"How did you know where to find me? I didn't think the Batman to be one to give up information so easily."

Robin smirked. "He does if you're practically a son to him." Raven's confused expression made him continue. "The Bats is my mentor. He's trained me and helped me become the man I am today. Without him, I would probably be in a very dark place. I owe him my life, to put it frankly."

Raven nodded slowly, taking in the information. "You didn't answer my other question, though."

"Oh, yeah. I was jumping on rooftops, and I noticed that you matched the description that Batman described. You seemed distracted, so I naturally thought that it was an excellent opportunity to sneak up on you. Apparently, it worked."

Raven huffed. This was the last time she would meditate outside, even though the scenery surrounding her sometimes helped her concentrate.

Robin sat down in a chair, and propped his legs on the table sitting in front of it. "The Bats also mentioned that you don't want to join their academy. Why not? I mean, you obviously don't have the Midas Touch with your powers, after all." He jutted his chin towards the broken flowerpot.

Raven crossed her arms, disgruntled. Who did this boy think he was, insulting her and her powers? Especially when she could probably kick his ass all the way across town. However, she didn't toss his body around the small space provided by the balcony. She wasn't going to lose control of her emotions. The outcome would be very bad, indeed.

"You know," Robin said, "it's a really good opportunity. Heroes can fit in with everybody else and won't be shunned. They get a chance to master their powers. They even get to learn from the infamous Justice League! Why pass up that opportunity?"

"Maybe I don't want to be a hero. Ever considered that, Boy Blunder?"

"Why are you fighting crime in Jump City, then?" The boy smirked.

Raven swore under her breath. Her glare seemed to be having no effect whatsoever on the Boy Wonder.

"Look, I'm just telling you that you should seriously consider it. In fact, if you want, I can come with you right now to the closest police department and help you fill out some of the paperwork."

Instead of answering, Raven trudged towards the sliding door, and after opening it, entered her hotel room. Before he could follow her inside, Raven slammed the door shut, and locked it.

Robin yelled, "That was a one time offer, I hope you know!"

Rolling her eyes, Raven grabbed the lever used to move the curtains, and shut it closed. Satisfied, the Azarathian girl made her way through the dark, and picked up a random novel off the coffee table. She then entered the single bedroom, and fell asleep reading Bram Stoker's "Dracula".

**-Meanwhile Back At The Watchtower-**

Batman was sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping a mug of coffee. Superman was standing nearby, making beef bourguignon.

"I'm telling you, Clark, she has the potential to be great."

"Even if that may be, it's still her decision on whether she wants to attend the academy. We can't force her. That just wouldn't be right," was Superman's response.

"How many people have applied, anyways?"

"About fifty people, I believe."

Batman nodded thoughtfully, and drained the mug of its contents. He hoped that Robin and his words would be able to convince the girl to attend the school. He had a strong suspicion that it would be an interesting year if she attended...

**-The Next Day-**

Raven slipped on a pair of jeans and put on a long sleeved jade green and black shirt. After she was satisfied on how that looked, she slid on her black combat boots. She grabbed the hotel key-card, and exited the room.

The Azarathian girl was sipping some herbal tea from a plastic cup, walking on the crowded streets of Jump City. Thankfully, she didn't exactly stick out like a sore thumb because of her hair and skin color. There were many teenagers and young adults who had dyed their hair an unnatural color and there were numerous girls with awful spray tans that made their skin appear a sickly orange. She grumbled in annoyance when a man who looked like he was in his thirties bumped into her, making her spill her tea over the concrete. She swore, and decided to take a detour, one that wouldn't be as crowded.

Raven entered the nearest alley, planning on flying to the local bookshop. Just as she was about to launch up into the air, a crumpled piece of paper hit her in the face. She unfolded it, and sighed when she saw what it said. It was an ad for the Justice League Academy. Each founding member of the group was on the ad with a dark glow surrounding their bodies. The text underneath the pictures were block letters and was medium in size. Below that, was smaller type that gave instructions for your application. From the ad, Raven learned that all applications were due on Sunday, three days away from now. Against her better judgment, Raven folded the paper neatly, and stuffed it in her pocket. She then took off in flight...

The next couple of days passed uneventfully. Apparently, Robin was pulling his weight in Jump City and Batman's mere name was taking a toll on the criminals in Gotham City. So, the empath read and meditated. And, frankly, it was boring her to death.

It was Sunday evening, and the month of August was slowly coming to a close. Raven had just finished reading "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" and the book had set an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It had also made her mood drop drastically, which was saying something.

Wanting to take her mind off the vivid images of Esmeralda's and Quasimodo's corpses. She grabbed the key to the room, and made her way down the staircase to the lobby. When she was outside, she stuffed her hands into her pockets, and took a left.

While she was walking, the conversations she had with both Boy Wonder and Batman appeared in her head, along with the information she had read from the ad. Would she really be wasting a chance and opportunity? Would going to this school for young superheroes really help save the world, and possibly prevent the prophecy from happening?

Before she knew it, she was stopped in front of the local police department. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and saw the officer on desk duty look up, alert.

"How may I help you?" The police woman asked politely.

Raven bit her lip, not sure on how to proceed. She fumbled with her fingers for a few seconds, before awkwardly asking the woman for the application forms for the Justice League Academy.

The woman smiled, and reached over, opening a cabinet. From it, she took out a stack of papers, which she handed to Raven. The police officer also handed her a pen.

Raven retreated into the far corner of the main room of the police department, and stared at the form. It asked questions like, 'What is your name (or the alias you wish to go by)' and 'What is your greatest ambition?'. The Azarathian answered them thoughtfully and truthfully. When the form was completely filled out, Raven could hardly believe that an hour had passed.

The woman at the desk smiled at Raven once more, and wished her good luck. Raven tentatively smiled back, wondering if she was making a major mistake on going through with this...

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><p>So, that was kind of an introduction, I guess you could say. The next chapter will feature the academy and students who wish to attend. I hope you liked this chapter? Let me know if I should continue it, yeah?<p> 


	2. The Day

**A/N -** Somebody presented to me that I can't have Wally West as the Flash because Wally West is Kid Flash. And, I'm just going to go out on a limb here and assume that making Kid Flash Barry Allen's grandson Bart Allen won't go over very well... So, I'm making Flash Barry Allen, and Kid Flash Wally West so nobody throws cyber-bananas at me. So, here's the next chapter.

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><p>Raven started packing her meager amount of items into a black suitcase she had purchased earlier that day. The Azarathian girl had found it hard to believe that a week had gone by and that it was now Saturday. They were scheduled to go the Academy that was in space sometime on Sunday. Since Raven didn't want to rush with packing the next day, she was making sure that everything she could possibly need was in her luggage.<p>

She walked over to the diminutive closet provided by the hotel. She pulled out four navy blue cloaks that she had made in the past few days. The hood reminded her of an actual bird's head. Next, she pulled out the black leotard that would help complete the costume, along with the blue boots. Raven stuffed the costumes in her suitcase, except for one. She was going to go to that school wearing a costume and with dignity.

Once she was satisfied that everything was packed, Raven began meditating, while hoping that tomorrow wouldn't be a disaster.

**-The Next Day-**

Raven woke up at six in the morning. She went in the shower, and let the hot water pour down her back for a while. Today was the day. Today was the day she discovered if she could really be a hero. After scrubbing her body clean of any residue of dirt, she shut the water off and slipped on her costume.

Raven went into the kitchen and poured some water into a kettle. She put the kettle on the stove, and let it boil. While the water in the kettle was being heated, Raven took out a cup and her box of chamomile tea bags. The Azarathian walked over to the kitchen table, and glanced at another ad she had found while walking out on the streets. This one contained more information. All valid applicants would be sent to one of the holding rooms at eight o'clock. There, they will wait for about thirty minutes or so to ensure that everybody has arrived safely and that everything is running according to plan. It also mentioned to leave your luggage behind and that if you were accepted into the school, it would appear in your dorm. Everybody will be led to the gymnasium, and will be called separately for their interview. Later that day, they will be informed on whether they were accepted into the academy. Raven looked up from the sheet of paper, and returned to the stove where she finished making her cup of tea.

After her cup was completely drained of chamomile tea, Raven meditated to pass the time. _Forty more minutes. Thirty more minutes._ Her knees started wobbling and she was grateful that she hadn't decided to levitate in the air. _Twenty more minutes._ A myriad of objects around her started flying around her, but she remained oblivious to it all. _Fifteen more minutes until it was time._ She ran through an interminable field in Nevermore, all of her emotions laughing and following her except for Timid. _Ten more minutes._ Intelligence was wishing Raven good luck, while her other emotions stared with wide eyes. _Five more minutes._ Raven bid her emotions goodbye and started walking towards the exit. _Four more minutes. Three more minutes. Two more minutes..._ She was nearing the exit. Raven opened her eyes, gasping as she felt her body lurch forward. The hotel room started spinning, its features were blurry and indistinguishable. Before she knew it, the hotel room was completely gone.

Raven landed on all fours on a carpeted floor. She swore under her breath when she felt her ankle twist, but under further examination, she learned that it wasn't broken or sprained. She stood up, seeing a plethora of people getting up. Raven's eyes scanned the room, and they fell on a table with a drink machine, along with cups, straws, and napkins. Deciding that drinking another cup of tea would be a good idea, Raven made her way towards the table.

Two girls were standing by the table upon Raven's arrival at the table. One of the girls had long blonde hair that cascaded gracefully down her back. Her skin color was pallid, and her body was curvy and she was tall. She was wearing a tight black corset-like top that had many intricate gold and silver symbols on the front. A silver and black striped mini-skirt covered her legs, while her feet were clad in black boots. Upon closer examination, Raven learned that her eyes were a brilliant hazel that sparkled in the light. Also, Raven saw a long, jagged scar on her left cheek. However, it didn't seem to mar any of her beauty. The girl seemed confident and comfortable in her skin, which just added to the girl's overall beauty.

The girl's companion was considerably shorter and had a more petite body frame. Her black hair was short and layered, and her bangs were dyed red. Heavy black eyeliner framed her twinkling dark eyes. Her body was clad in a black and red dress that stopped mid-thigh. The girl's arms were covered with black gloves, and she was wearing boots that almost reached up to her knee. A choker was around her neck, and Raven was surprised that it wasn't choking the life out of the petite girl.

Both girls looked up at Raven's approach. The tall girl's cup almost overflowed with what looked like ginger ale, but she moved it before that could happen. The smaller girl smiled at Raven, revealing pearly white teeth.

The brunette held out her hand and said, "Hey! I'm Argent."

Raven reluctantly shook her hand, not wanting to appear rude. She felt Argent's emotions and knowledge wash over her. Raven learned that Argent's real name was Toni Monetti and has the ability to control bursts of silver plasma energy. Raven quickly retracted her hand, not wanting any more information to slowly trickle into her mind. However, it was way too long, in Raven's opinion. Raven decided that she would try her best to avoid any physical contact with people, even if it seemed rude.

The blonde nodded at Raven as a sign of greeting. After taking a sip from her beverage, she spoke. "My name's Astoria Lacroix. I'm an illusionist. I can make people see anything I wish them to see. I sense auras and excel at reading emotions. My role models are Zatanna and Gypsy."

"Astoria wears her heart on her sleeve, and yet she doesn't," Argent tried to explain. "She can be hard to read at times, but she always tells you her opinions and stuff. She also doesn't care about what people think of her."

"Long story short, if you do something to piss me off, expect to hear my thoughts."

Raven nodded slowly, digesting the information.

"So," Argent began, "what's your name?"

"Raven."

"Like the bird, eh?" Argent smiled. There used to be a lot of ravens near her house, and after you got used to their mystifying presence, they truly were beautiful and unique creatures.

Raven nodded meekly.

Astoria clapped her hands, setting down her cup on the table. "So, what kind of powers do you have?"

Raven answered vaguely. "I'm an empath."

Astoria raised a defined eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah... How did they determine which waiting room we would go to, exactly?" Raven had been wondering this for quite some time.

Argent answered, "I heard they did it according to sex."

Raven's eyes swiveled around the room. Everybody in the room was female. Except for a green boy who was trying, and failing, to flirt with a few girls.

"Then explain why he's here...?"

Astoria followed Raven's glance, and laughed. "You don't know what's down there. Besides, he doesn't even look very manly!" Argent burst out laughing, and Raven even cracked a slight smile.

After Argent's laughter had subsided, Raven asked the girls another question. "Do you know what test they will make us do after the interview?"

Argent opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a blonde walking by them who couldn't help but to overhear their conversation. Raven raised an eyebrow at her attire. She was wearing a short dress that if it was any shorter, it wouldn't cover her lower abdomen. The dress was black and was extremely tight. Her breasts were practically hanging out of the low-cut dress. It was probably a weak attempt to make herself look attractive since her facial features weren't exactly a pretty sight. Her eyebrows were dark, which obviously pinpointed to the fact that her hair was obviously dyed. The color of her eyes were a dark blue that glinted with superiority. She had an abnormally small nose, which just looked awkward on her face. Although her teeth were straight, her smile was crooked, as if she was trying too hard. Also, she was wearing a bright red lipstick that screamed "Look at me! I'm a whore!" In all, her appearance seemed to be too forced and utterly fake.

"I don't even know why we have to have an interview! Our submission forms should have been enough! I mean, they could have easily figured out that I'm by far the best person here!"

Astoria rolled her eyes, trying hard not to laugh. "Maybe they wanted to see who needed some serious therapy and a major wake-up call."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The girl demanded.

"I think what Astoria is trying to say is that a superhero needs to have a good attitude, or else they won't be a very good hero." Argent coughed.

The blonde's mouth formed an 'o'. She then patted Astoria's shoulder, and said her words in a very serious manner. "You probably won't get in. But, please don't cry all over me. I don't need your snot on my costume."

Astoria laughed bitterly. "Who the _hell_ _are you_?"

"My name's Kitten."

Raven mumbled under her breath, "Does this kitten even come with claws?"

Apparently, Kitten didn't have the ears of a brick wall. After scoffing, she trudged away. Not before the heel of one her ridiculous boots snapped, causing the blonde to limp and almost trip.

"That little bitch needs to pull that twig out of her ass!" Astoria exclaimed, bewildered. She honestly never met somebody who annoyed her so much in that short a period of time. It was outrageous.

Raven nodded, agreeing with Astoria's opinion.

"Anyways," drawled Argent. "I heard that after our interview, they make us do some physical test or something. I'm not sure, though."

"We'll find out soon enough, though," Astoria clicked her tongue.

Raven moved over to the automatic drink machine. She tapped the screen, and more choices appeared on the screen. Raven selected the type of tea she wanted, and pushed the cup against the thing. She moved the cup away before it could overflow. The Azarathian tried a sip, and was satisfied with the way it tasted.

While Astoria and Argent were talking quietly to each other, Raven glanced at the clock. She was surprised to see that twenty minutes had already passed. She sipped more of her tea, and began paying attention to what the two girls had to say.

"Remember that one time in seventh grade when that girl Jennifer Faust blew up that laboratory? Do you think she's here?" Argent glanced at the taller girl.

"I'm not sure. Chances are that she completely changed her appearance. After all, she was on the news for months!" Astoria glanced at Raven's confused expression and explained what had happened. "We were working with chemicals in the science lab, and the teacher Mrs. Cordell started pairing us up. Jennifer used to be the most popular girl in sixth grade. However, in seventh grade, things changed. She started having bad luck. A lot of kids thought it was because of puberty, since it was obvious that she was maturing. Anyways, she got paired up with this jackass who decided that he was going to try to figure out what the hell happened to her. She couldn't handle it. Jennifer just _snapped_! Everyone watched in horror as things started flying around the room and all of the chemicals started spilling. Her eyes were literally glowing pink, so everyone knew it was her. We quickly evacuated the building, along with everyone else in the school since the fire alarm rang. Within five minutes, the building blew up. Nobody was injured except the boy who had decided to pick on Jennifer. He _died_. We couldn't find his body. That was also the last day we ever saw Jennifer Faust."

Raven was shocked. Although, she was secretly glad that she wasn't the only person in the world that had trouble with their powers. Nevertheless, the entire story was terrible and Raven felt guilty.

"Did either of you know about your powers?" Raven questioned the two girls.

Argent shook her head. "I discovered my powers the summer following that year."

"I knew about my powers, but the best I could have done was make everyone at the school forget that Jennifer was involved in the incident. However, attempting that feat probably would kill me since that is actually a lot of work and would mentally drain me. However, now I would be able to make more people forget since my powers were strengthened by meditation and practice. Back then, I had only just discovered my powers. At the end of the day, though, I feel so damn guilty about it all," Astoria solemnly told Raven.

There was another question that Raven wanted to ask the illusionist. "Why are you telling me all of this, exactly?"

Astoria looked into Raven's eyes with sincere and wise eyes. "I told you that I can sense auras. In fact, I can read them exceedingly well. Even though yours is shrouded in darkness, I can sense that there's a good persona underneath all the darkness. A persona that is struggling so _damn hard_ to overpower the battle raging within yourself. You have many secrets, but who doesn't? At the end of the day, all that matters is your virtues and choices. Even though I can't tell what they are, I can tell that you have high values and that you make good choices. I understand if you don't want to tell me, but I want to be your friend, Raven. You seem like you would be a good person to have around, whether you believe it or not."

Astoria looked like she was going to say more, but an elderly lady entered the room, immediately grabbing everybody's attention. She cleared her throat, before her voice carried over like a trumpet call. "Welcome applicants to the very first academy for young superheroes! We are pleased to see so many enthusiastic young people ready to face any threat that comes their way to protect the world. I am Ms. Giardina and I am here to guide you to the gymnasium."

Everybody in the waiting room started walking towards the door in which Ms. Giardina was standing by. Once the woman was satisfied that everybody was gathered around, she turned around and began leading them through many winding hallways. Raven raised an eyebrow when Ms. Giardina sent a glare towards the green boy Raven had seen in the waiting room. Raven was also pretty sure that the old woman had flicked the boy off.

After what seemed like forever, they finally reached two huge wooden doors. Ms. Giardina looked every single person gathered around her with serious eyes, giving them a hidden warning: don't go in there thinking that you'll definitely get in because it's fair game and you may not. After that, she opened the doors, and everybody followed her inside the gigantic gymnasium.

She beckoned everyone by the bleachers, and gestured to them to sit down. Everybody obliged, and Ms. Giardina forced a tight smile upon her face. The elderly lady then pivoted around, and exited the gym.

The group that was sitting down on the bleachers weren't talking whatsoever. Everybody was too excited. They watched quietly as more people, notably males, entered the gym and sat down on the rows of bleachers. The silence was deafening, and was slightly bothering Raven. Minutes passed, and Raven sat up straighter when the seven original members of the Justice League seemed to appear out of nowhere in the middle of the gymnasium on the stage.

Superman walked right up to the microphone positioned on the front of the stage, and looked at every single person sitting in the stands right in the eye. "Welcome to the Justice League Academy! We are quite pleased to see so many bright faces apply for a place in this brand new school!

"Now, applicants will undergo an interview session held by Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Flash, Green Lantern, Zatanna, Black Canary, Aquaman, and myself. Afterwards, all applicants will have to partake in two tests to help determine which class they will be put in: Class Titan, Class Honorary, or Class Tenderfoot. Unfortunately, only thirty of you will be accepted into the school."

Batman took the microphone away from Superman. "Now, first things first, all rule breaking will be dealt with accordingly. All punishments will be seen fit to Hawkgirl. You should find all the rules posted in your dormitory. Also, all class work is expected to be turned in on time, which can also be a good indicator on your character."

Green Lantern spoke next, "Classes run from eight in the morning to three-fifteen. If you are accepted into the school, you should find your class schedule posted on the bulletin board in your dormitory. Each schedule will be different for each class, and only the last period will be same: Training. This class will have different teachers at times, and will be taught on either the training grounds near the gym or inside the gym itself."

Green Lantern handed the microphone to Hawkgirl. "If a crisis arises, and more than a couple members of the Justice League need to leave to stop the situation, the school will be on lock-down. Nobody will be able to get in or out. Sarah Simms, somebody who volunteered to help us with the school, will monitor the system. Once the situation has passed, the lock-down will end and everything will continue on as normal." Hawkgirl muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'hopefully'. The Thanagarian then gave the microphone to Flash.

"Students are only allowed to leave the school on weekends in areas that are being monitored by the Justice League. However, there are some areas that are monitored, but students won't be able to transport there. For example, nobody is allowed to transport into Gotham because Batman said, _'I don't want a bunch of hooligans running amuck in my city!'_ His words, not mine. Anyways, students can find a list of areas they can transport to in the transport tube, which contains a plethora of launching pods. Students need to arrive back to the school by curfew, which is ten o'clock. Launching pods also leave Earth at that time, also, so I suggest you don't miss it unless you want to be on the receiving end of some member's wrath. Remember, weekends only, or else you will be punished by Hawkgirl. The only time students will be able to use the launch pods during the weekday is if a member of the Justice League granted them a mission that needs to be done on Earth. Missions will be monitored intently in case students are unable to complete it and they need backup. With most cases, a whole class will go to complete a mission, with some exceptions. For more information, contact one of the founding members of the Justice League."

The microphone was handed to Wonder Woman. "Now, I'm sure that many of you are wondering why you couldn't have just used the launching pods instead of being transported directly here. It wasn't my idea, however, so I'm going to pass it to the man who came up with the idea." She fondly looked at Batman, and she tried not to shiver when their fingers brushed when she gave him the microphone. Luckily, she didn't.

Batman cleared his throat, before talking into the microphone, "The Justice League have a multitude of enemies, which I'm sure you're aware of. Our enemies knew that we would be opening the school up today, and if they knew we were going to use launching pods to transport the students, they would try to sabotage it. That would also put your lives at risk. So, I came up with the idea of doing some investigating and figure out where each applicant was currently staying at. Using some advanced technology, I bugged the place so it would be able to transport everybody here safely. Many of you probably see it as a violation of privacy, so I apologize. But, I assure you that it was in regard to your safety."

"Now," Superman started, "when you hear your name called on the speaker, follow the corridor to the right, and enter the second room on the right."

Martian Manhunter glanced at a clipboard that was in his hands, and looked at the list that was in no particular order. He called out the first name on the list, 'Starfire.' The Justice League then led a girl with fiery red hair into the corridor, and it was assumed that she was beginning her interview.

Raven glanced around the gymnasium, taking note of everybody sitting in the bleachers. There was a burly looking black boy who looked like he could easily strangle you without breaking a sweat. He was sitting up straight, silent. Raven saw a glint of silver, and saw that there was a giant ring on one of his fingers.

Raven looked to the boy's left and saw a boy with red hair. He was wearing a red costume that wasn't too garish. The Azarathian noted that he was wearing a yellow utility belt. From the side, a strap crossed over his torso. The strap led to a quiver of arrows, Raven saw. Raven also noted that he was wearing a mask that covered his eyes.

Beside him, was somebody Raven recognized. He was wearing green, red, and yellow. The walking traffic light. Robin. She swore under her breath and quickly averted her eyes. Just in time, since Raven could sense that his eyes were boring into her back.

Twenty minutes had passed when they called the next name. Cyborg. The tough black boy Raven had seen sitting near Robin stood up, and began walking towards the corridor. He looked nervous, and frankly, nobody could blame him. Also, the girl named Starfire didn't reenter the gym, Raven realized.

Raven was contemplating on meditating, but decided that she wouldn't be able to hear her name be called. After staring ahead of her for ten minutes, she swore and wished that she had brought a book with her.

Astoria looked at Raven with a concerned expression. "It's going to be okay, Raven. Don't get annoyed. That will probably make you choke during the interview and tests. You don't want that. Remain calm, okay?"

Raven nodded slowly, and took a few deep breaths. She immediately started feeling better.

"Lumina." That was the next name called. Astoria stood up, muttering something incomprehensible to Raven's ears. Within a minute, Astoria was gone and was beginning her interview.

Time passed slowly. The gymnasium was slowly being emptied out as names were being called one by one within twenty minute intervals. Argent had been called a while ago and Raven was now sitting alone. Raven quickly looked around the room, and noticed that there were about a dozen kids left to go. Including Robin.

Raven tapped her foot in rhythmically. It was strangely calming her down, even if the noise was incessant and quite annoying.

A couple more people left when they were called to go have their interview.

Then, finally, Raven's name was called. She slowly stood up and hoped that her legs weren't shaking. The Azarathian headed towards the door, and pushed it open. Raven then continued walking down the hallway, and entered the second door to the right.

The room was spacious and dimly lit. A giant table shaped like a horse shoe sat in the middle of the room. An empty chair was set in the curved part of the table. Aquaman, Flash, Black Canary, and Hawkgirl were respectively sitting at the end of each side of the table. Next to Black Canary was Zatanna. Beside Zatanna was Batman, who was sitting next to Wonder Woman. Sitting next to Flash was Green Lantern, who was next to Martian Manhunter. In the middle of the table sat Superman.

When Raven entered the room, Zatanna immediately stiffened. Batman glanced at her, wondering what was wrong. However, Zatanna gave him a weak smile and told him with her eyes that everything was fine.

Superman beckoned for her to sit down in the empty chair, and Raven obliged.

"Now, in your application form, you weren't too specific about your powers," Superman said. "Can you give us some more insight about the range of your powers?"

Raven hesitated for a few moments, before speaking. "I'm an empath. I can sense feelings and emotions to some degree. I have the ability of astral projection, meaning my soul can leave my body and act as my eyes and ears. Also, my soul-self, as I call it, can fight physically. I can teleport, as well as fly. I also use telepathy and telekinesis. Even though I never tried it, I might be able to manipulate time."

The ten members of the Justice League nodded their heads thoughtfully, taking in all the information. That was an impressive array of powers.

Batman asked the next question, "In your application, you checked 'yes' on the question that asked if you were bilingual. However, you didn't state which ones. What languages do you speak?"

Raven started counting them with her fingers. English, Cantonese, Russian, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Latin... In the end, Raven shrugged her shoulders, and said, "There's too many to list."

Some girl named Kitten had tried to pull something like that earlier, and since Batman didn't believe it, he tested her by switching languages to see how they would respond. Batman did the same thing, starting off with Cantonese. Raven replied to the question he had asked flawlessly. They switched from language to language, and Raven countered to each statement perfectly. Finally, after a few minutes, Batman seemed satisfied and impressed. Everybody else did too.

"How advanced are your hand to hand combat skills?" Black Canary asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Even though Azarath is a peaceful dimension, there were warriors that were trained in case disaster were to befell on the land. I was trained by the best warrior in Azarath and his techniques were satisfactory. He also taught me how to use kunai knives, along with a few other weapons."

Flash raised his hands in a defensive-like stance. "Wait, so let me get this straight... You aren't from Earth or another planet? You're from another dimension?"

"That is correct."

"How did you hear about the academy, then?"

"I had just left Azarath for personal reasons. I went to the planet Earth, hoping to rid the world of some evil. There, I discovered the school and after some thinking, I decided that I would try to attend."

Zatanna's eyes darted around the room. Everybody seemed pleased with this applicant. She was definitely a step-up from an applicant by the name of Kitten. But, Zatanna wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't tell the other members the information she knew that the girl probably wouldn't tell them. With a sigh, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"I sense a demonic heritage within you."

* * *

><p>So, Astoria Lacroix (Lumina) is an original character I made up. Hopefully, you guys are liking her and her personality. Also, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and maybe consider it a cliffhanger. Have a nice day!<p> 


	3. The Tests

**A/N -** I realized that the second chapter was posted twice and that it replaced the very first chapter. I apologize for that, and in case you saw that, I fixed it so it's in the correct format or whatever you want to call it. Also, I noticed that a couple of people pointed at that you believed that Astoria Lacroix was like a Mary Sue. I can see where you get that idea, but I assure you that she's not going to be some impeccable person with no flaws whatsoever. I've always believed that people who seem like they have the perfect life actually don't. On the outside, they're smiling, but on the inside? Who knows? There's a reason I decided to call this story Justice League Academy: Obstacles. Characters in this story, even some who aren't in Class Titan, are going to face some obstacle. Some will face multiple obstacles. Anyways, in this chapter, you're going to get a small taste of one of the obstacles Astoria is going to face.

* * *

><p>Astoria tapped her foot impatiently, trying to ease her irritation. She looked at Argent, who was sitting a couple of seats away by this black boy who was wearing a black and red costume that showed lean muscles. By the looks of it, they were flirting. Astoria sighed. Argent was notorious for her flirtation skills.<p>

The blonde rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. With each passing moment, the pain in her head increased. She quickly stood up, ignoring Argent's startled look. Astoria's eyes quickly scanned the room, finding an exit that led to a bathroom. She hurried over there, and entered. The tall girl pushed a chair up against the chair, preventing any access into the bathroom. Then, the illusionist hurriedly checked under the stalls for any signs of feet. Once she seemed satisfied with that, she walked up to a sink and started splashing cold water on her face.

Astoria gasped, staring at her reflection. Her skin looked paler than usual and the jagged scar on her left cheek seemed more pronounced. She flinched at the memories, and quickly shook her head, trying to forget the scenes that had played in her mind.

The illusionist loathed it when she had these kind of episodes. She just felt _so damn_ vulnerable when she could scarcely breathe and needed to escape from it all. Especially when unwanted memories flooded into her mind. Sighing, Astoria reached down and unzipped a hidden compartment in her right boot. The blonde stared at the small bottle in her hands, and opened it with trembling hands. Astoria took out two pills and popped them in her mouth. She turned the faucet, and used her hands to pour water in her mouth. The liquid helped her swallow the pills, and she heaved a great sigh after the pills were swallowed.

The tall girl closed the medicine bottle, and put it back into the hidden compartment. She splashed some more cold water on her face to just help with the effects of the pills. After she was satisfied that the pounding in her head was ebbing away and that her breathing returned to normal, Astoria shut off the water. Then, the illusionist exited the bathroom, much to Argent's irritation.

"What happened?" Argent asked with her hands on her hips. She was obviously disgrunted, Astoria noticed.

"I thought I was leaking. I wanted to make sure so I don't embarrass myself in front of all these people," Astoria lied smoothly.

"First off, I really did not need to hear that. Secondly, I strongly doubt that."

Unbeknownst to Astoria was that as the two girls were walking away from the bathroom, bickering, somebody was opening a stall door, a curious expression upon her face. The girl started walking towards the sink, and saw something on the clean tile flooring. She kneeled down, and examined it. It was a label. A wicked gleam glinted in her eyes visibly and a smirk appeared on the girl's face. Before anybody could enter the bathroom, the girl pocketed the label and exited the room nonchalantly.

**-Meanwhile With Raven-**

_"I sense a demonic heritage within you."_

Everybody in the room, aside from Batman and Zatanna, immediately stiffened. Anything positive that had previously gleamed in their eyes instantly vanished, replaced with mistrust. Raven looked Zatanna straight in the eye, betraying no emotions whatsoever.

"Are you positive, Zatanna?" Superman took his wary eyes off of Raven for a few seconds to glance at Zatanna.

"I'm positive, Superman. She's surrounded by darkness and shadows, along with a signature. The signature of a demon. However, it's not as strong as full demons, hence the fact that it's in her heritage."

Superman's gaze returned to Raven's. "Is this true?"

Raven sighed, "Yes, it's true." Raven paused a moment or two and then continued before anybody could say anything. "However, that doesn't mean I'll be on the path of my father's."

Zatanna stared at the girl with solemn eyes. "How are we supposed to know that he won't try to possess you or anything? He could try to cloud your judgment at any given moment."

Astoria's words echoed in Raven's head. _"I told you that I can sense auras. In fact, I can read them exceedingly well. Even though yours is shrouded in darkness, I can sense that there's a good persona underneath all the darkness. A persona that is struggling so damn hard to overpower the battle raging within yourself. You have many secrets, but who doesn't? At the end of the day, all that matters is your virtues and choices. Even though I can't tell what they are, I can tell that you have high values and that you make good choices. I understand if you don't want to tell me, but I want to be your friend, Raven. You seem like you would be a good person to have around, whether you believe it or not."_ The words helped Raven from losing control of her emotions, along with a base of what to say. They also comforted her.

"There's a reason I left Azarath. I wanted to do some good in the world because unlike my father, I want to protect and save people. As long as I keep my values and make good choices, I highly doubt that I will be under his influence. However, there's no sure-fire way on how to prevent him from controlling me. So, keep a close eye on me."

Flash cut in before Zatanna could speak. "Who's your father, anyway?"

"His name is Trigon and he's a fucking bastard," Raven said simply.

An awkward silence fell over everybody in the spacious room. After a few moments, Zatanna spoke. "Very well. I guess we should continue onto the first test." After all, everybody deserved a fair chance. Even demonesses.

On cue, a short woman entered carrying a golden goblet entered the room. Raven noticed that the goblet contained a clear liquid that didn't quite look like water. Smoky tendrils of steam billowed around the chalice in intricate patterns, showing a mystifying essence. The woman placed the cup in the middle of the table, so it was near Raven and Superman. After she had finished that task, the female scurried out of the room silently.

Superman coughed, surprised that they were going to continue with the tests after the revelations they had made. However, he put that in the back of his mind for the moment. "The first test you will partake in will determine how you will react in the face of your fears."

Raven glanced at the chalice, figuring it was the key to the test. However, she didn't know how.

"Breathe in and drink your fear. If you wish for it to stop, that's all you have to say."

Raven reached across the table and grabbed the goblet. Dreading what was about to happen, she tilted the cup back and began drinking the fluid that was inside it...

The first thing Raven saw was heavy sheets of rain. Under closer examination, however, Raven realized that it wasn't rain at all. Instead, it was scarlet blood that fell from a sky that was now crimson in color. A myriad of corpses lay on the asphalt, their bodies bruised and battered. Raven spun around, hoping that the bloody rain would end and that the interminable pile of bodies would disappear. Instead, she heard a cruel and sadistic laughter booming from overhead.

A giant entity that was emanating evil smirked at the hopeless girl. He was ten times the height of the petite girl, with skin similar to the color of blood. His cold, empty demonic eyes showed no warmth at all. His face was absent of any emotion, except for remnants of apparent hate. Raven could tell that this creature was mirthless and absolutely malicious. The empath could also tell that this being was her father.

Beside her father were the founding members of the Justice League, along with her mother. She even saw Astoria, Argent, and the Boy Wonder. Every single one of them looked like they were in pain and were unable to move, Raven noted.

"See what you have done, child. This is all your fault. You're the reason for why the world ended and how I came to power on this pathetic planet. You're the reason why everybody you knew will die an excruciating death."

Raven watched in horror as he raised his arm, and sent Astoria, Argent, and her mother Arella flying backward onto the concrete. Inky tendrils of Trigon's dark aura reached out towards the three females, cutting and slicing their skin. They thrashed around, screaming for mercy. Raven tried moving, but it was like her feet were glued to the ground. Three sharp daggers came out of nowhere, and were magically poised over the three women. Then, the daggers were lowered and plunged into their hearts...

_The scene changed._

Raven was standing in an empty graveyard. No blood. No Trigon. No screaming. Just an eerie silence and a plethora of graves. The wind blew, lashing at Raven's pale skin without mercy. The empath dropped to her knees and read the name on the tombstone in front of her. Arella Roth.

Raven opened her mouth, her hands covering her mouth in horror. Her eyes watered, and many tears started slowly trickling down her cheeks. Arella had always been there for Raven and was the kindest person Raven had the opportunity to know. Azar had held her mother in the highest regards and she was in a special place in her heart. Even though Arella had her faults, Raven had loved her very much. So, naturally, the empath wasn't taking her death very well.

"It's all your fault, Raven."

Raven looked up to see the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She was a couple of inches taller than Raven and had piercing blue eyes. Her skin color was pale, but was darker than Raven's and was more humane-looking. The woman's hair was long and pure white. However, she didn't look elderly at all; she looked youthful and absolutely graceful. She wore a beautiful blue strapless gown that had the hemline flowing around her legs all the way down to the floor. The bodice of the dress was tight and gave people insight about her curvaceous figure. However, there was no possible way on how Raven could mistake the evident scorn in the woman's eyes. Azar was angry with her. That much was obvious to the empath.

"What do you mean, Azar?" Raven asked softly.

"Look around you, child."

Raven looked confused, but shakily stood up. She read the names on the graves around her. All of them were familiar. The grave of Galya, the woman who was her nursemaid when she was an infant, was besde her mother's. Coman, the High Magistrate of Azarath, was next to Galya's. Theron, one of Raven's friends who had watched her grant an ill bird a renewed life. Tynan, an Azarathian that Raven hadn't knew personally but had seen a couple of times, was beside Theron's grave. The empath gave an anguished sob, and stared at Azar with wide eyes.

"You killed them, Raven. It's your fault," Azar said coldly.

"How could I have possibly killed all of them, Azar? And not remember any of it?"

"You let Trigon influence your actions, child. You turned your back against the Temple of Azarath and betrayed us. Without mercy, you murdered every single Azarathian. I was the only one to survive, and at a last resort, I gave you my ring."

Raven glanced down, and was surprised to see a silver ring on her index finger. It glinted in the sunlight. At that moment, Raven felt a strange feeling of content and happiness.

Azar held out her hand. "I would like my ring back, child. I'm afraid you have no right to keep it since you are not my daughter."

"I thought you said that every single person in Azarath was your child!" Raven exclaimed.

"Things change." Especially since you killed them all. Those were the words that were echoing continuously in Raven's mind.

With tears pouring down her face, Raven handed Azar the ring with trembling hands.

"You shall live a cursed life, Raven Roth. A life full of misery and loneliness. You shall never know love or friendship and you will end in the most excruciating death imaginable. I should have known that you were going to be a disgrace to the Temple of Azarath."

Azar disappeared before Raven's eyes, and Raven fell to her knees once more. The empath curled up in a fetal position, crying.

_All she had to do was say stop. It would all be over, then. She wouldn't have to be miserable. She opened her mouth to say the word, but it couldn't form. She just couldn't say it for some odd reason._

_The scene changed again._

She was standing on a steep cliff. Layer upon layer of pregnant clouds blanketed the sky with tenacious arms, emitting an ominous sign. Her body was bleeding profusely and her clothing was ripped and torn. The empath looked behind her, looking at her mother with pleading eyes.

"You must die, Raven. You cannot prolong the suffering of others. It isn't fair to them and it's very selfish of you."

"Mother, please! I don't want to die!"

"You'll thank me for this in the afterlife, my precious bird."

The raven haired woman with striking blue eyes raised a knife above her head, and brought it down. The blade struck Raven in her neck, hitting a vein. Raven gave a pained scream. With an emotionless face, Arella pushed her daughter off the cliff. She watched as her daughter's body made impact with the hardened earth below.

Raven gasped, returning to reality. The ten members of the Justice League looked at her with concerned eyes. Apparently, the empath had been whimpering as some of her fears were being displayed before her very eyes. Once they came to the conclusion that she was okay, their eyes became cold once more. However, there were a couple of members, such as Wonder Woman, who were sympathetic.

Raven glanced down at the goblet that she was clutching tightly. She was surprised that it was empty. The short woman reentered the room, staring at the ground solemnly. She took the chalice out of Raven's hands and exited the room. Raven assumed that she was going to refill the cup with the strange mixture.

Superman cleared his throat. "Now, if you would follow us to the simulation room. There, you will participate in the last test."

Raven stood up, hoping they wouldn't shake. Fortunately, they didn't. The empath followed the members of the Justice League out of the room to the corridor. They past about five doors, before they stopped in front of a door that required Superman's hand print. They entered the room, which Raven saw a gigantic room that was empty with a lot of space. Off to the side was a staircase that led to what looked like a control room. A glass screen would easily allow somebody to monitor some kind of physical test. Raven was guessing that it would determine her agility along with how strong her powers were.

"Now, this is going to be a simulation that will test your powers along with your agility," Superman explained. "Your objective is to defeat your opponents and save the captives. The test will last for ten minutes to test your endurance. The difficulty level will increase if you're close to finishing the test before that time frame. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes," Raven drawled slowly. "How many levels are there?"

"There's ten levels," Wonder Woman answered. "Only three students have been able to reach that level and complete it so far, though."

Raven nodded slowly, and watched as they climbed the stairs and went inside the operating room.

"The test will begin after the countdown," Wonder Woman spoke through a microphone.

_"5... 4... 3..."_

Raven got in a ready stance, preparing for the test. She put the vivid images in the back of her mind for now, not needing any distractions.

_"2...1... Begin."_

The stairs and the landing that led to the control room disappeared. Raven looked around the room, noticing that there were five captives. Two were stuck in a cage that was being suspended in the air by a chain. Two more were tied up, gagged. The last captive was strapped to a metal bed, a needle poised above him.

Right when Raven was about to move, lasers appeared around her. Raven dodged a couple of them by doing a couple of acrobatic stunts that Boy Wonder would be proud of. She flattened her body on the ground in an attempt to avoid the lasers. The Azarathian looked around the room, and noticed the device that kept shooting the lasers. Raven enveloped it in her aura, instantly damaging it. She did the same exact thing to the ones on the other walls.

Raven stood up, hearing a grunt behind her. She pivoted, coming face to face with a giantess with red hair. Or rather, she was facing the giant's ankle. A second or two before the gigantic woman could have stomped on her, Raven transported away. This succeeded in confusing the tall girl named Giganta.

Raven looked around the room and saw that the giant needle that was above a captive's body was slowly making its way towards his chest. Deciding to save herself a little trouble, Raven shouted out, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" and sent the needle flying at Giganta's face. The giantess screamed in agony, and Raven continued hitting the giant with the huge object. After constantly being hit, the giantess was rendered unconscious. Before Raven would be smushed by the giant woman, Raven transported away once more. However, Giganta's body didn't make impact with the floor. Instead, it disappeared.

Replacing Giganta were about thirty well-constructed robots that started surrounding Raven. Raven wrapped five of them in her dark energy, and smashed them against the wall. This action angered the robots, and before they could touch her with their sharp claws, Raven flew up in the air. Raven started slicing their bodies in half using her powers. She concentrated on this task that she didn't hear a cannon move out of a wall and aim for her body. The cannon shot out a sonic energy towards her, and it sent Raven falling down onto the hard floor. The remaining five robots started crowding around Raven's body, their claws outstretched in front of them, eager to draw some blood...

**-Meanwhile Up In The Control Room-**

"Damn."

Flash was awed by the performance of the Azarathian. He kept making sound effects, and had started chortling when Giganta had fell. Now, he was sitting on the edge of his seat, hoping that the empath would get up to continue his amusement.

Batman rolled his eyes and looked at the timer. There were seven minutes to go. Batman looked over to his right to see Martian Manhunter taking notes. Superman was monitoring the simulator with an intent focus. Wonder Woman was whispering to Black Canary. Zatanna was sitting near a screen, watching with her hands clasped, no emotion apparent on her face. Batman sighed, and looked closely at the simulator. The difficulty level was currently at level five.

"Yes!" Flash screamed, jumping up and down so quickly that he was literally a blur.

**-Back With Raven-**

"_NO!"_ Raven screamed, her aura ripping apart the five robots. She got up as the remains of each robot instantly disappeared.

Raven transported next to one of the captives that was bound and gagged. She quickly untied the difficult knots that tied both his hands behind his back. The empath yanked the gag out of his mouth, before untying the rope that bound his legs together. Once she satisfied that he could be considered safe, she turned around, knowing that he would just disappear.

The empath came face to face with an intimidating man with a white face and clown make-up. He had green hair that was slicked back and a cruel smile that showed crooked teeth. His face was scarred, especially around his mouth. Raven had a strong suspicion that this man was a crazed sociopath.

With a grin, the man took out a deck of playing cards with sharp blades. He then started throwing them at Raven, who threw up a shield around herself. Once Raven saw that there were no more cards left, she removed the shield and sent a car that had been speeding towards her at him. The car hit the Joker in his leg, and he began chuckling insanely. It was as if he didn't even feel pain.

"Come on, dear! Get crazy. After all, it's the only way to beat me!"

Rolling her eyes, Raven took out her kunai knives, and threw one of the knives at him. It hit him precisely in the middle of his right eye. He fell to the floor, still laughing like a maniac. Raven walked towards him, and shoved the other knife in his chest. She quickly grabbed the knives before they could disappear with his body. The Azarathian was glad to see that there wasn't any blood on either blade.

Deciding to save some of her energy, Raven started running over to the next captive, the one that was strapped to the metal table, not having to worry about the needle anymore since it had been used as a weapon against Giganta. When she was about twenty feet away from the captive, she felt ropes wrap around both her wrists and ankles. Next thing she knew was that she was underwater, her body sinking lower and lower...

Raven couldn't concentrate. She was too busy worrying about drowning. With difficulty, the empath tried undoing the knots around her wrists. The obstinate knots wouldn't budge. Raven opened her mouth to curse, which proved to be a big mistake. Water filled her lungs, suffocating her. However, Raven continued trying to undo the knots and after what seemed like an eternity, the ropes around her wrists gave way. Deciding that Raven wouldn't be able to untie the knots around her ankles in time, Raven furiously started pushing her way up to the surface. The empath saw black and white splotches of color that weren't even there. She was blacking out. This realization made her push a little harder, even though she was being weakened. Raven then broke the surface, gasping for breath.

Unfortunately, Raven didn't have much of a chance for a breather. The water was quickly turning into a solid. The temperature of the water was instantly dropping. Letting out an inward groan, Raven waited, needing to time her move precisely. When the ice was a couple of seconds away from freezing her body in the water, Raven grabbed onto the edge and pulled herself up with some difficulty. Thankfully, her legs weren't stuck in the water.

Raven quickly untied the ropes and crawled on the ice carefully. She sighed in relief when she was back on solid ground. The empath didn't look behind her to see the pond disappear. She sprinted towards the table, and using her powers, ripped the metal straps from the table. Raven made sure the captive was fine before transporting herself to one of the other captives, one that was bound.

She had to hurry. After all, time was surely running out.

Raven used her powers to undo the knots that tied the woman's limbs together. Then, she removed the gag. The captive screamed. Just in time, too. Raven looked behind her to see a man dressed up a snake lunge towards her.

Raven leaped out of the way. She could see that his mouth was foaming, and Raven assumed that she shouldn't let him get too close because she figured that his saliva and bite was poisonous. Copperhead jumped at her and she flew up into the air, barely avoiding his bite. Raven saw the two pieces of rope on the ground, along with the gag. The empath wrapped the gag in her aura, and stuffed it in the snake-like man's mouth. Then, to reinforce it, she moved the rope with her mind and tied it at the back of his head, holding the gag in place. Raven raised her hand and sent his body flying backwards against the wall.

Raven looked over her shoulder to see that one of the cages was lowering itself towards a puddle of acid. The captive in the cage was frantically trying to open the cage but was unable to do so. Raven looked over to see that the other cage was wildly flying side to side, the chain weakening.

The Azarathian transported herself to the other side of the room to the cage that was sinking towards the acidic puddle. Raven used her powers to open the cage. The cage dropped three feet, nearing the acid. Raven held out her hand to the captive, who cowered in fear from Raven. Sighing in exasperation, Raven forcefully grabbed the captive's arm and dropped them onto solid ground, five feet away from the cage. Not the best way to save a captive, but still effective. Raven saw the bottom of the cage touch the acid just as it disappeared. The captive next to Raven also disappeared.

Raven turned around to see the other cage being flung towards her. Raven took a few steps backward before wrapping the cage in her dark energy. Gently, she set it down and opened it with her powers. The captive scrambled out of the cage, gasping. Raven made sure that the captive was okay, and stepped away from him after she was satisfied with the results.

The captive disappeared, along with everything that had appeared in the room. Raven looked up to see the stairs appear, along with the landing. She gave out a relieved sigh, thrilled that the test had ended. That had definitely not felt like six-hundred seconds.

Wonder Woman spoke through the microphone in the control room. "That was an excellent job, Miss Roth. You completed the test in nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds with a difficulty level of ten."

After that announcement, the ten members of the Justice League exited the control room and descended the stairs. Flash noticed that Raven looked weak and exited the room and came back two seconds later with a glass of water. Raven took the cup and gulped down the icy cold liquid.

Superman cleared his throat. "Now, we'll escort you to the hallway, and Leona will guide you to the holding room."

Raven nodded mutely and followed the members of the League to the corridor outside. Outside of the room was the elderly Ms. Giardina who nodded at the League as a sign of greeting. They nodded at her in return before walking away. Leona led Raven away in the opposite direction. They entered two different hallways before stopping in front of a black door.

Before Raven entered the holding room, Ms. Giardina spoke. "Good luck, dear."

Raven was somewhat astonished. After some slight hesitation, Raven muttered a thank you to the old woman.

Raven entered the room, looking around for a familiar face. After about a minute, she saw Astoria sitting near Argent who was animatedly talking to a dark-skinned boy. Raven made her way towards the area where they were sitting.

Astoria looked up and sighed in relief when she saw Raven. She quickly shut the magazine she was reading. "Finally! Do you know how sick and tired I was reading this stupid thing? I mean, who cares about backstabbing pricks and bitches? I don't! It's always the same shit, anyways."

Raven gave a nervous laugh, and sat next to Astoria and Argent.

"So, how did it go?" Argent asked, her eyes twinkling.

"It went... okay," Raven shrugged.

Figuring out that Raven didn't want to elaborate, Astoria coughed and pointed towards the boy next to Argent. "The kid next to Argent over there is Hot Spot. Hot Spot, meet Raven. She's pretty cool and could probably kill you in a few minutes." If Astoria only knew how true that was...

"Hey Raven," Hot Spot smiled.

"Hi."

Argent and Hot Spot then resumed their conversation. Astoria rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair.

"Hey, Astoria. I'm going to meditate and do you think you can let me know when they make an announcement or something?"

"Of course, Raven," Astoria responded, inwardly groaning. Looks like she's going to be a loner once more.

A few hours later, Astoria shook Raven's arm. They were about to make an announcement.

Black Canary spoke on the intercom. "The Justice League are glad that so many people have applied for a position in this school. Many of you had wonderful trials. It's refreshing to see so many people with powers in such a small world. At this time, we will be deliberating on who will be placed in the school and what class they will placed in."

Raven looked at Astoria, relieved and not relieved. Chances were that she wasn't even going to get into the school because light was shed on the fact that she had demon blood within her. However, Astoria did have a chance and deserved the opportunity of being a part of the school. Even though Raven hadn't known the girl for a very long time, she knew that Astoria was a good person. Plus, Astoria had helped her fully realize that she could actually be good. That's something that Raven will never forget.

**-Meanwhile With The Justice League Members-**

Black Canary turned off the intercom and faced the nine other members of the League. "Okay. Are we starting with Class Titan or Class Tenderfoot? Or, perhaps, Class Honorary?"

"Let's start with Class Titan and work our way down," Hawkgirl said leaning back in her chair.

Flash spoke. "Personally, I think Kid Flash was the best. He's fast on his feet and witty - like me! There has to be somebody like me on a team, fellas. Just putting that out there."

"You're just saying that because his powers are like yours," Aquaman stated.

"Oh, please! I know that you know that I know that you're thinking of choosing that kid Aqualad! So don't give me that garbage! Besides, I know that you guys were impressed with the kid."

Hawkgirl laughed, "Do we really need another snarky bastard around us?"

Flash gave an indignant "Hey!" and toppled out of his chair.

Wonder Woman coughed before speaking. "Personally, I think Starfire would do excellent in Class Titan. She has impressive powers and proved to us that she can hold her own in a fight. Plus, she has a good attitude, albeit being a little too exuberant. Who did you think was the best, Bruce?"

Everybody else in the room let out a groan, already expecting him to say Robin. However, they looked like they were paying attention so Batman wouldn't come after them, seeking vengeance. So, naturally, they were shocked when Batman didn't utter the name of his ward.

"Raven."

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><p>I hoped you liked this chapter and that I did justice with the testing, guys. Leave me a review and tell me your thoughts? That would mean a lot to me and will (hopefully) put a smile on my face. Also, I wasn't too sure about Azar's appearance, so I kinda winged it. In the end, it just seemed like a good way for how she would look without giving a lot of signs about her age. Anyways, have a good day!<p> 


	4. Very Good Friends

**A/N -** Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, guys! They're making me smile! ***Insert Smiley Face***

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><p><em>Wonder Woman coughed before speaking. "Personally, I think Starfire would do excellent in Class Titan. She has impressive powers and proved to us that she can hold her own in a fight. Plus, she has a good attitude, albeit being a little too exuberant. Who did you think was the best, Bruce?"<em>

_Everybody else in the room let out a groan, already expecting him to say Robin. However, they looked like they were paying attention so Batman wouldn't come after them, seeking vengeance. So, naturally, they were shocked when Batman didn't utter the name of his ward._

_"Raven."_

Batman knew that the other members were likely going to select Robin because he was likable and intelligent. Plus, he excelled in hand to hand combat and was sufficient in martial arts. He had noticed that his fellow Justice League members were impressed with Robin. And, that's precisely the very reason why he didn't say his ward's name.

The detective was impressed with the Azarathian. He had been from the day when he had first seen her in action when those people in the alley were in danger. The empath had incredible powers and had definitely seemed smart. Plus, she was clearly better than some of the applicants, such as the girl that went by the name Kitten. However, since some light was shed on her heritage, the other members had instantly shied away from selecting her as a future student at the academy.

Zatanna looked at her friend, shock evident on her face. Some other members were also looking at him like he had lost his marbles. Batman sighed.

"Everybody has their own secrets and is entitled to them. I know that we all have some secrets that we haven't told people. Keeping secrets doesn't make somebody a bad person, though. For example, our secret identities are unknown to the public. Are we bad people? If we strip away every single secret away from a person, then it leaves them feeling exposed, which wouldn't be good feeling. I would bet a hundred dollars that that is how Raven felt when Zatanna exposed her heritage. It was a dark secret, yes, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person. In fact, that could be a good thing. It could mean that she will try harder than everybody else in an attempt to save the world."

Everybody remained silent for a couple of minutes, contemplating Batman's words, before Superman cleared his throat. "Very well. How many of you believe that Raven should be accepted into Class Titan?"

The Dark Knight immediately raised his hand. After a few moments, Wonder Woman raised her hand, followed by Flash and Martian Manhunter. A few moments after that, Green Lantern slowly lifted his hand up in the air.

Superman looked each member in the eye, before raising his own hand above his head. The leader nodded his head, and put his hand back down. "Raven is now the first person accepted in the academy."

The proceedings continued on with a manner similar to this. The hero vouching for a possible candidate would explain why the applicant should be accepted and the other members would at first give their point of view and then raise their hand if they agreed. If at least five members agreed with Superman's approval, they would accepted into the academy. After they had chosen thirty people, they discussed which member in the Justice League would mentor the students, since everybody had different powers that they would need to learn to control.

**-Meanwhile In The Waiting Room-**

The majority of the applicants were impatiently waiting and praying for a chance to be accepted into the school. Most were feeling absolutely queasy and were trying hard to not throw up their guts. Some were trying to entertain themselves with magazines or sketching. A very select few, such as Hot Spot and Argent, were animatedly talking to each other.

Raven was currently meditating, and was slightly levitated above her chair. She was thoroughly clearing her mind so that it was devoid of any emotion. The empath wasn't even aware of the fact that an hour and a half had passed. Suddenly, she felt somebody shaking her shoulder and she instantly returned to reality.

Black Canary was speaking on the intercom. "The members of the Justice League have chosen thirty students to study at our academy. In a couple of minutes, you will watch some snippets of each student during their second test, as well as learn if you made the cut and what class your fellow students are in."

"After the video has finished playing, you are to gather around with your class and walk towards your designated exit, which will have a sign. In the corridor, you will see a small trolley that is designed to give a tour around the school to help prevent students from getting lost tomorrow when school starts. After all, this is a rather large campus."

The Black Canary's voice was replaced with Superman's. "Students will find their stuff in the common room in their quarters. Each student will have their own room and personal bathroom. Remember, your schedule will be posted on the bulletin board inside the common room, along with a map. Also, there will be a bulletin posted on which member is your mentor, since everybody has various powers that will need some focusing on. You are to meet up with your mentor every Saturday or Sunday at the time they had selected to work with you. Don't disappoint your mentor. Now, let's watch the film, shall we?"

A giant flat screen appeared out of a wall. The people sitting in the waiting room were sitting on the edge of their seat, except Raven, who was nervously biting her lip.

Large white letters appeared on the screen, spelling out 'Class Titan'. After the letters had faded away, the blackness immediately changed to feature the simulation room. Lasers appeared across the screen and Wonder Boy was dodging them with apparent ease. On the bottom of the screen was his name in a mixture of green, red, and yellow. The scene transitioned to show him fighting the Joker in a much more impressive way than Raven had. Then, the screen switched to show a tall red-head sending green bolts of energy at Giganta, before showing the girl, whose name was Starfire, save a captive that was in the cage.

After the girl Starfire, Raven was watching herself doing acrobatic stunts in order to dodge the lasers, before breaking them with her aura. The empath saw herself shout out her mantra and repeatedly hit the giantess with the needle that had threatened to kill a captive. After that one scene, Raven saw herself running as fast as she can, before plunging into water.

The screen changed to show a kid named Aqualad, followed by Cyborg, Bumblebee, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw Astoria and Argent looking at each other with wide eyes. After the clips showing Beast Boy evaporated, the last member of Class Titan was shown. Lumina. Astoria. Raven heard the blonde sigh, sounding both disappointed and relieved.

The short film continued, showing the people in Class Honorary and Class Tenderfoot. The members in Class Honorary were Hot Spot, Argent, Bushido, Jericho, Herald, Pantha, Thunder, Lightning, Terra, and Kole. Class Tenderfoot included Phantasm, Lilith, Prysm, Little Barda, Solstice, Offspring, Jesse Quick, Risk, Tramm, and a girl named Airstorm.

After the video had finished, the screen molded back into the wall. Everybody stood up, looking relieved or immensely disappointed. Argent looked at her best friend with sad eyes before walking away with Hot Spot. Silently, Astoria and Raven walked towards where Class Titan were gathering.

Before they reached the group, Raven lifted up her hood, which casted a shadow over her face. Once everybody in Class Titan was gathered around, everybody introduced themselves and exchanged smiles at their future roommates. When it was Raven's turn, she mumbled incoherently and looked away, biting her lip.

Even though Raven was being rude to her teammates, she was lucky that she had looked away. A fist was sent her way and Raven ducked just in time to avoid having it collide with her face. The empath looked up to see a furious Kitten looking at her with a firm scowl placed upon her face.

"You little bitch!" Kitten seethed, clenching her fists.

Raven rolled her eyes and lifted an eyebrow.

Kitten scoffed at Raven's silence and tried punching Raven once more. Instead of dodging it, Raven grabbed her fist, holding it with a deathly strong grip. Kitten winced, but nonetheless tossed her other fist at Raven's face. Raven grabbed her wrist and twisted it in an awkward angle. The blonde girl gasped in pain, and aimed a kick at Raven's shin. Kitten's foot didn't make any impact with Raven's legs. The empath had decided that the fight was pointless, and wrapped her dark aura around Kitten's limbs. The blonde stared at Raven with wide eyes, before she was flung backwards to the wall farthest away from where the demoness was standing. When Raven was satisfied that the other girl was unconscious, she allowed her aura to retreat from the blonde's body.

The green body stared at the empath with apparent adoration in his eyes. Then, the changeling started flailing his arms around. "Cool trick, dude!"

The Azarathian glared at the green boy, who flinched before backing away slightly.

Astoria laughed. "That bitch had it coming! I'm so glad that she's not a student at this academy!" Some of the people in Class Titan nodded their heads, agreeing.

Raven looked up and saw the boy named Robin scrutinizing her. It was as if he was trying to solve a complex puzzle. After a few moments, he clapped his hands and spoke. "Okay, team. So, I think we should head out to the trolley so we can learn our way around the school campus."

The members of Class Titan nodded their head and followed Robin to their designated exit. Raven hesitated for a few moments, wondering if this was all some big mistake. Shaking her head, she followed the group.

Beyond their designated exit was a silver trolley with blue cushioned seats. Raven sighed when she saw that the only open seat was next to Robin in the very front of the vehicle. After everybody was seated (and buckled in), a hologram appeared in front of Raven.

The hologram was a woman who looked like she was in her late thirties. The hologram was pure white, but was obviously not cheap as it didn't flicker. "Hello Class Titan. You may refer to me as Emily. If any of you have a question during the tour, please don't hesitate to ask."

Raven paused for a few moments before asking, "How are you able to talk, exactly?"

The hologram smiled. "Artificial intelligence. A couple of researchers from Wayne Enterprises were working on a project that supplied artificial intelligence to this liquefied compound that was poured into a mold. The compound was later heated and cooled, creating the basic of the holograms. Then, the researchers meddled with light, bending and refracting it, thus creating potent holograms. The head researcher of this project, Lucius Fox, was more than happy to allow the League to use the holograms."

Raven nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

Emily clapped her hands before opening a drawer. She took out sheets of paper and handed them to the members on the trolley. Raven almost shivered when she received her paper. When her hand had brushed against the hologram's, it felt as if her hand was plunged into a bucket of icy water. The empath looked down to see a detailed map.

"Currently, we're located in a restricted section. Under no circumstances are students allowed in the places marked in red unless they're accompanied by their mentor or another member in the League. Now, our first stop is to the cafeteria, followed by the trophy room."

The trolley started moving by itself, as if by magic. Emily spoke to Class Titan as the vehicle moved, telling them the basics of the school, such as the materials and elements used to create the buildings. Raven wasn't surprised when she learned that it was a mixture of both magic and supplies from Wayne Enterprises. It was a known fact that the elite business in Gotham supported the League whole-heartedly and donated items for them to use to their heart's content.

Within a few minutes, the trolley stopped inside the huge cafeteria. Circular tables were scattered across the room. Black recliners circled the tables, offering immense comfort. The walls were painted a mixture of white, red, and blue while the floors were black. Long, silver serving tables were positioned near the wall farthest away from the door. In all, it was actually a nice set-up.

Emily smiled at the group. "This is the cafeteria, which happens to be placed across the hall from the elevators, which some of you probably noticed. Breakfast is served in the cafeteria at 7:00 A.M. to 7:45 A.M. Lunch is served at 11:20 A.M. to 11:55 A.M. Dinner is served from 6:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. The refrigerators in the kitchen of your towers is stocked up with food basically to serve as snacks. Also, they can provide food in case you're running late or if you feel like experimenting with food and your culinary talent."

The trolley started moving once more, heading towards a single door located inside the cafeteria. Raven was astonished to discover that the trolley actually fit through the door. The empath assumed that magic played a small role.

The room was pretty large but was practically empty, save for a couple of glass cabinets. Raven noted that the cabinets had nothing inside of them except wooden shelves. The walls were completely bare, with no picture frames or anything to decorate the black walls. It was a really sad trophy room. But, it was to be expected since school hadn't started yet.

"This is the trophy room," the hologram spoke. "Throughout the school year, the trophy room will start collecting awards for student achievements. A couple of examples are awards received to you for completing missions and finishing obstacle courses in a certain amount of time. A little tidbit of information for you guys is that Batman and Superman are having a bet. Superman believes that they will have to purchase another cabinet to put trophies in. Batman thinks that that won't be necessary. I honestly don't know who will win, though."

Class Titan started exclaiming their points of view on the matter. In the end, it seemed like more people believed that Superman would win the bet. Probably to help boost their egos.

The tour continued on in a manner similar to this. Emily would show the group of teenagers all the rooms around the school and would give them details about it and hand out interesting tidbits when she could. The Azarathian was awed by her surroundings. The school was huge and that was saying something, considering the fact that she grew up in the halls and chambers in Azar's majestic palace back in Azarath. Raven was also pleased to see that the decorations weren't overly tacky and were actually moderately tasteful.

An hour or so later, the group of teenagers were finally stopped in front of the stairs that led to their personal tower. The maps that Emily the Hologram had given them at the beginning of the tour was either neatly folded or stuffed inside the pockets of the young superheroes. Everybody exited the trolley in a not-so-orderly fashion. As soon as every single member of Class Titan had stepped off the small bus, the trolley started wheeling away.

Raven quietly followed the teenagers up the stairs and entered the common room. She was surprised to see that the room contained things that ordinary kids had. A large plasma screen was elevated on the wall, facing a giant couch, along with a couple of bean bags. Video game consoles sat on mahogany table that was beneath the television. Movies and video games were neatly placed side by side on a few shelves that were beside the giant television screen. A wooden bookshelf with several books was on the far side of the room. Computers sat on a long table on another wall with cushioned rolling chairs pushed underneath the table. A giant stereo was pushed against the wall, begging to blasted to full volume. The walls were painted a light shade of brown while the carpeted floors were a creamy beige. The bulletin board was located right beside the door.

The Azarathian followed the group to the kitchen. The counters were a deep brown with a black marble surface. A stainless steel stove was located in the crook of the counter where it separated. Matching cabinets were raised above the counter and the oven. A steel toaster was located near the end on the counter, by the stainless steel fridge that was placed beside the end of the counter. The microwave was located on the opposite side of the kitchen, raised above another strip of counter. The trashcan was positioned by the wall, somewhat hidden by the shadow that the counter cast upon it. A wooden table was fixated in the center of the kitchen with ten wooden chairs surrounding it. A ceramic bowl of fruit was placed on the top of the table in the center.

Beast Boy started incessantly flailing his arms around. "Dude! This place is freaking amazing!"

The group exited the kitchen, returning to the living room. Everybody retrieved their luggage and either entered a door that led to a hallway with doors that led to bedrooms or up a set of stairs that contained more bedrooms. Raven picked a room at random and was pleased to see that it was dark and slightly ominous. A king-sized bed stood in the center of the room, the mattress blanketed by dark purple sheets. The window was covered by heavy drapes that wrapped around the smooth glass as if it were its lover. A wooden drawer was on both sides of the bed, an unlit candle atop each surface. From where Raven was currently standing, she could smell the scent of sage and lavender billowing towards her nostrils even though the candle wasn't burning. An elegant wardrobe stood in the corner of the room, casting a foreboding shadow. Across from the wardrobe was a walk-in closet. Raven noted that there was a box that contained more candles. Great. The candles would definitely help her meditate. A few feet away from the closet was the door that led to Raven's personal bathroom. She entered the bathroom and was shocked to find how large it was. Around the sink were body mists, a stick of deodorant, a few bottles of body wash, a bottle of toothpaste, and a couple of body lotions. At the edge of the counter closest to the wall was a glass container that held diminutive cotton balls. A small cabinet underneath the sink contained several fluffy towels. The porcelain toilet was a few feet away from the sink and was spotlessly clean. Perpendicular from the toilet was the giant bath tub with a silver shower head overhead. A purple loofah was wrapped around the knob that turned the water on and off. On a small shelf-like surface was a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. Raven exited the bathroom and lay down on her bed. This room was basically perfect and was more suitable to her tastes than the palatial suite that she had resided at in Azarath.

After a few minutes had passed, Raven got up and started unpacking her belongings. Since toiletries had already been supplied, Raven put her supplies in the cabinet beneath the bathroom sink. She arranged her apparel in the closet by following the spectrum of the color wheel. It didn't take very long considering the fact that her personality wasn't very bright. Once her belongings were put away, Raven exited her bedroom and made her way to the common room.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were currently battling it out in a fierce game of Metropolis Grand Prix 3 with Starfire, Robin, Astoria, and Bumblebee watching. The empath rolled her eyes and entered the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She saw Aqualad, Speedy and Kid Flash raiding the refrigerator.

"We are not eating fish!" Aqualad complained quite loudly.

Speedy groaned, "Why not?"

"Most of those fish were probably my buddies!" Aqualad screeched.

Kid Flash leaned against the fridge. "So, if a really hot chick with lipstick on came knockin' on your door, puckering up, you would push her away because the scales of your little buddies are on her lips? Did I understand that correctly?"

Aqualad looked flabbergasted. "That's different."

"Point made," Kid Flash smirked. "Now, somebody get out the crunchy corn shells!" Aqualad's face immediately turned green at the thought of fish tacos.

Raven studied the three boys, taking in their uniforms in greater detail than she had earlier that day. Kid Flash was wearing a uniform that was a mixture of red and yellow. The costume showed off his lean figure. A red lightning bolt was shown on the middle of his chest. Red tufts of hair was visible above the yellow mask that helped shield his identity. Aqualad wore a tight blue, black, and white uniform. The boy's feet were clad in black boots that matched his costume very well. His biceps were well defined and it can be assumed that his swimming strokes were quite powerful. Aqualad's jaw was strong; his eyes emanating warmth and friendship. Long dark hair fell down a few inches past his shoulders. Like Kid Flash, Speedy was a ginger, but his hair was shorter. Speedy's costume was a garish red and yellow boots covered the boy's feet. A utility belt was strapped around his waist, a strap leading to the quiver of arrows and bow that were on his back. The structure of his mask was similar to Robin's. It was safe to assume that their fashion sense was much better than Boy Blunder's.

Speedy turned around and almost ran into Raven, who was still standing quietly. "Woah!"

Kid Flash beamed. "Are you here to help us fellas out and make tasty fish tacos?"

"Uh, no," was Raven's response.

The empath pushed past the male superhero and walked over to a cabinet. She searched for a box of tea bags that she could use to make herself some soothing tea. The Azarathian had to open three cabinets in order to find the thing she was searching for.

Robin walked inside the kitchen at that moment. "What happened?"

Aqualad answered his question, "She scared Speedy."

"Did not!" Speedy protested.

"Did too!" Aqualad childishly retorted.

Raven resumed making her tea, deciding to ignore the boys in the kitchen.

Somebody yelled in the other room and after a few moments had passed, Astoria entered the room. "We're going to go down to the cafeteria to go eat dinner. Are you guys coming?"

Apparently Kid Flash, Speedy, and Aqualad had decided that munching out in the cafeteria was safer than testing their culinary skills.

"Raven? Robin?" Astoria questioned.

"I'm not hungry to be honest. Besides, this tea should keep me satisfied," Raven replied.

"I'm not very hungry, either," Robin said. "Besides, I think I should give Raven some company."

Astoria shrugged. "Suit yourselves... Hey, Raven, if you need me, my room is right next to yours."

Raven heard the other members of Class Titan leave the tower. The empath purposely ignored the other person inside the kitchen. Within a few minutes, her tea was ready and she turned around to go sip the relaxing beverage in her room. However, her body was trapped between the counter and a human being.

"I should have known that my presence would have convinced you to enroll in this prestigious school," a voice breathed in her ear.

"You weren't, and I suggest that you move out of my way," Raven said in her usual monotone voice with a hint of irritation.

"Why would I wanna do that?" Robin lightly chuckled.

"Because I'll send your ass to another dimension."

The Boy Wonder smirked. "I'm sure you will." Robin leaned forward, breathing in Raven's scent.

Raven's breath hitched and she told herself not to lose control of her emotions. "You know, you should really get your mind out of the gutter."

"Good to know that you like me being in the crook of your neck... The feeling will intensify when I start kissing your neck, you know."

Raven closed her eyes for a few moments before pushing him away. The last thing she needed was losing control of her fickle emotions.

Robin laughed, "I think we're going to be _very_ good friends,_ Princesa._"

Raven barely heard him. She raced up the stairs, being careful to not spill the tea she had spent minutes preparing. The empath gulped the tea quicker than she probably should have and lit the candles in her room. Then, the Azarathian began meditating for a couple of hours before entering the bathroom. She filled the giant tub with hot water and a Japanese Cherry Blossom scented bubble bath. Raven spent an hour soaking in the water, clearing her mind of any excess emotion. After drying her body with a towel, the empath drifted off to bed, not knowing what was going greet her the next day...

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><p><strong>AN -** First off, I'm really sorry for the long wait! Also, I'm sorry that this chapter was basically a filler. The next chapter will be longer, I promise! It will feature their classes and a couple of RaeRob moments. By the way, I hope I did their little scene in here justice. If anybody has any suggestions on how I can make it better, please let me know! Lastly, does anybody know what The Atom's personality is like and things like that? Black Canary?

Thanks for reading!


	5. Turd Monkey Alert

**A/N** - Based on your reviews, I noticed that there seemed to be some misconception regarding the class schedules. Everybody within a class have the same exact schedule but will be mentored by a member in the League over the weekend to focus purely on their powers and abilities. That means that there are only three different schedules. However, one class is shared with every other class, which is Training. Also, the members of the Justice League probably aren't going to be accurate with their personality and demeanor. I've only really learned about the characters in the Justice League through the cartoon and to be honest, I never really watched Justice League Unlimited. Thus, members like Black Canary might be out of character. Then, there are other superheroes that I don't know much about, such as Jesse Quick and Bushido. Those characters will face obstacles, not just the members in Class Titan. However, since I don't know a lot about their background, I'll kind of take the characters into my own hands and sorta match their personalities with their powers, if that makes sense. Anyways, here's the awaited chapter.

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><p>Violet eyes opened, glowing positively, albeit tiredly. The Azarathian stretched like a lean cat, paused, and began walking towards her closet. She removed a clean costume before striding to her personal bathroom with a purpose.<p>

After the empath was freshly showered and fully clothed, she exited her bedroom and turned right. Last night, Astoria had told her that if she needed her assistance, her room was right besides Raven. The Azarathian rapped on the wooden door twice and waited patiently for it to open.

The door opened to reveal a flummoxed Boy Blunder with a towel lowly wrapped around his waist. His smoothly chiseled and well-defined chest glistened with tiny water droplets. The boy was phenomenally fit, unbelievably so. 'Stupid hormones,' Raven mentally cursed.

Raven blurted out the first thing that came to her mind that wasn't mentioning how the boy was half-naked. The last thing the empath needed was him trying to seduce her or something. "You're not Astoria."

"Obviously," Robin drawled, leaning against the doorway.

"You're cocky."

"You know, I prefer the term confident. It doesn't sound quite so... harsh."

Raven scoffed, turned on her heel, and left the ward of Bruce Wayne standing in his doorway. Unfortunately, her action didn't get the desired effect since he could clearly see her storming down the hallway and could easily follow her. Fortunately, however, he seemingly decided that he should get dressed.

Raven knocked on the door that was to the left of hers. Thankfully, a feminine voice shouted for her to enter. The empath did just that.

Astoria's room was amazingly elegant and caused Raven to wonder how much money was spent on the school and rooms. The floor was white marble while the walls were a creamy oatmeal color. An intricate chandelier hung from the ceiling, the crystals sparkling in the sunlight that the velvet curtains allowed to seep through. The bed was pushed into the far corner of the room, golden covers sweeping to the smooth floor. Beside the bed was an opening in the wall where a tray protruded from the wall, showing a black laptop. Astoria was currently located in a small seat in front of a regally white vanity. She finished applying her mascara, closed the tube, and turned around to face Raven.

"What's up?" The blonde questioned.

In her usual monotone voice, Raven responded, "I was just wondering if you want to come with me to the cafeteria to go get breakfast."

"Uh, sure. Just let me finish doing my hair. I'll be down in about five minutes, yeah?"

Raven nodded and exited Astoria's room.

Raven was astonished to find that the living room was empty. After some thinking, she assumed that they were already down in the cafeteria or were sleeping. Shaking her head, Raven entered the kitchen to make some herbal tea. Robin (fully dressed, thankfully) was inside the kitchen, sipping coffee from a blue mug.

"You know, that's not good for you," Raven commented, surprising herself.

"Actually, recent studies have shown that coffee is healthier than most people had thought. It can protect your liver, reduce the risk of you getting Alzheimer's disease along with dementia, and it's an antioxidant," Robin perkily responded.

"However," Raven said, "the caffeine that's in the coffee isn't good for your blood system or your nerves."

Robin crinkled his nose. "Are you trying to convert me into a tea drinker?"

"No. Where is everyone?"

"Starfire and Bumblebee went down to the cafeteria as soon as I got down here, which wasn't too long before you arrived yourself. I think Cyborg is trying to wake up Beast Boy. Other than that, I don't have a clue."

Raven huffed and poured her tea into one of the mugs that had been in one of the cabinets. Ignoring the Boy Wonder, she walked out of the kitchen and made her way towards the bulletin board. Then, the Azarathian read the class schedule.

Class Titan Schedule:  
>8:00-8:45 Detective Work and Interrogation, The Question and Batman<br>8:50-9:35 Weaponry, Hawkgirl and Green Arrow  
>9:40-10:25 Hand To Hand Combat, Black Canary and Wonder Woman<br>10:30-11:15 Battle Strategies, Martian Manhunter  
>11:20-11:55 Lunch<br>12:00-12:45 Science and Algebra, Atom  
>12:50-1:35 Literature, Zatanna 1:40-2:25<br>Team Training, Flash, Aquaman, Stargirl  
>2:30-3:15 Training, Teacher Varies<p>

Raven rummaged around for a slip of paper so she could copy down the schedule. Then, she began searching for a writing utensil.

"Looking for this?" A voice whispered in her ear.

"Yes," Raven growled. She tried to reach for it, but he held it away from her reach.

In a sing-song type of voice, Robin said, "Say the magic word, Rae-Rae."

"Don't call me that," The empath snapped.

"It has a nice ring to it, though. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Not at all. Now, can I have the pencil?"

Robin cheekily grinned. "You never said the magic word."

With clenched fists and a forced smile upon her face, Raven uttered the magic word. "Please."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Robin smiled before handing her the pencil and walking away to, presumably to check up on the other guys.

As Raven was scribbling away the schedule in her somewhat neat scrawl, Astoria entered the room, a silver bag slung over her shoulder.

"Where's your school stuff?" Astoria asked.

"The thought hadn't crossed my mind, to be honest."

"Hold on a sec," Astoria briskly left the room and returned a couple minutes later with a binder that contained loose-leaf notebook paper, a pouch that was probably filled with pencils or pens, a notebook, and a simple drawstring bag. The blonde quickly stuffed the items in the bag before handing it to the violet empath.

"Thanks."

"No prob. Argent doesn't have the best memory and I thought she would forget to bring all of her school stuff. So, who's your mentor?"

Raven glanced at the bulletin and scanned the list and frowned. "Zatanna."

Astoria's smile fell slightly and Raven recalled how the blonde said that her role models were Zatanna and Gypsy. Astoria looked at the list herself and her frown disappeared when she saw that her mentor was Gypsy. Although, she would have preferred Zatanna as a mentor.

Astoria took out a folded map from her pocket and said, "So, let's get going, yeah?"

The duo left the tower for Class Titan and headed down the stairs. They continued down the adjourning hallway and stopped in front of the elevators. Raven pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

"I wonder what it's going to be like to have Batman as a teacher," Astoria voiced her wondering thoughts.

"He's pretty intimidating," Raven recalled how Gotham's personal vigilante sneaked up on her after she saved those people in the alley.

"All superheroes should be intimidating to some degree. Otherwise, you'll get your ass kicked," Astoria wisely noted.

The elevator arrived at that moment and the two girls entered it. They traveled down to the second floor in silence. Raven started thinking about what Astoria had said. Soon enough, the violet empath's mind wandered to Robin and how he could possibly be considered intimidating when his costume was outlandishly bright. After some consideration, she assumed that he must have a mean right hook.

When the doors opened up, Astoria and Raven leisurely strolled into the cafeteria. At one table sat Starfire, Bumblebee, Speedy, and Aqualad. The table beside them was occupied by members in Class Honorary: Pantha, Bushido, Thunder, Lightning, and Herald. Another table consisted of the following members in Class Tenderfoot: Solstice, Jesse Quick, Kole, and Risk. A table nearby held every other member in Class Tenderfoot.

Raven and Astoria made their way to the buffet table that contained several breakfast foods, such as waffles, cereal, and bagels, among other dishes. Unlike Astoria, Raven didn't pile her plate with sausages, scrambled eggs, toast, and a gourmet blueberry muffin. Instead, she simply put a cinnamon bagel on her plate and two cream cheese containers. Then, she poured herself green tea into one of the plastic cups near the pitchers and drink machines. Together, the two girls made their way to an empty table. As soon as they sat down in the extremely comfortable recliners, Robin entered the cafeteria with Beast Boy, Kid Flash, and Cyborg.

Beast Boy yelled rather loudly, "Do you think they have tofu?"

Cyborg responded to the green lad, "I certainly hope not."

Rolling her eyes, Raven delicately began slathering the cream cheese on her bagels.

"I wonder where Argent is," Astoria said after she finished swallowing a mouthful of eggs.

Raven shrugged. "Maybe she's with Hot Spot?"

"I have a strong suspicion that they're going to end up dating before this week is even over," Astoria groaned.

"You don't like him?"

"It's just that I think he's hiding something. You should know that that means something since I'm a pretty good judge of character."

"Hey guys! You'll never believe who my mentor is!" Beast Boy gleefully shouted and sat down beside Raven.

"Does anybody have a knife that's not plastic and preferably not covered in cream cheese?" Raven questioned seriously. She really didn't feel like using her kunai knives on the green boy.

"_Hey_!" Beast Boy indignantly yelled.

"Shut up, BB," Cyborg glared at the changeling. Unlike yesterday, he wasn't wearing his ring and appeared half-robot. "People are starting to stare."

"Yeah. You should seriously stop acting like a damn turd monkey," Kid Flash commented before sitting down across from Raven.

Beast Boy huffed before he began shoveling his tofu in his mouth. Robin and Cyborg sat down at the table and started eating their own breakfasts. Raven raised an eyebrow when she saw that Cyborg had twice as much food as Astoria.

"Wanna hear a song?" Beast Boy asked the people surrounding him.

"No," Raven flatly responded.

Beast Boy totally ignored her. "I was happy once. They put me in a straitjacket. I was born in that straitjacket. They fed me tofu. I love tofu! It makes me happy. I was happy once. They put me in a straitjacket. I was born in that straitjacket. They fed me tofu. I love tofu! It makes me happy. I was-"

Raven's dark aura engulfed Beast Boy's chair and it went flying backwards. The chair started spinning wildly out of control. Beast Boy was screaming for mercy. After a minute or so, Raven's aura receded from the chair and the helpless vegetarian. As soon as the chair had finally stopped moving, Beast Boy fell out of it, mumbling incoherently. Apparently, he was unbelievably dizzy.

When the laughter in the cafeteria had subsided, Raven said with an uninterested tone to her voice, "_Whoops._"

Robin frowned. "You know, you shouldn't really do that. After all, we should be acting like a team."

"Poor grass stain is probably going to have nightmares for a week!" Cyborg commented.

"He wouldn't shut up," Raven rolled her eyes. "What was I supposed to do? Get duct tape?"

"Personally, I would whack him in the face with a slice of pizza if we were eating lunch or dinner. Just saying," Astoria uttered after gulping down some orange juice.

"You chicks are evil. I'll be sure to avoid pissing you off," Kid Flash grimaced.

After a few more minutes passed, Raven dumped her plate in the dish rack and followed Astoria to the elevator. Their first class was located on the third floor and was going to start in a few minutes. Bumblebee, Starfire, Aqualad, and Speedy were entering the elevator when they exited the cafeteria. Aqualad, being a gentleman, held it open for the two girls.

"Friends! Excitement is within me on this glorious day!" Starfire shrieked, clapping.

"Uh, that's great, Star," Bumblebee said, backing away to avoid one of Starfire's bone-crushing hugs.

The elevator doors opened up to reveal a narrow hallway with several doors. The group of teenagers made their way down the dimly lit corridor, searching for the right classroom. Their memories were slightly jumbled up because they viewed so many rooms on their tour yesterday.

"Dude, I feel like something is going to suddenly pop up out of nowhere, cut my skin off, and wear it to their birthday party," Speedy frowned.

"You have an overactive imagination," Bumblebee replied.

The classroom the teenagers were looking for was at the very end of the hall. Like the hallway, the room was poorly lit and an ominous feeling emanated from it. Five tables were fixated in the room with two chairs placed in front of each one. A Smart Board was set up on the wall opposite from the door. Several gadgets were neatly placed in glass shelves similar to the ones that you might find in a museum. A wooden desk was placed in one of the corners in the room with a brand new computer hooked up. This machine that looked somewhat like a copy machine was beside the mahogany desk. Shadows vivaciously played around, notably in the corners of the room.

Raven was surprised to see Robin casually sitting down in the classroom. She and Astoria had left the cafeteria before him and he still managed to get to class before they had. So, naturally, she was curious.

Speedy voiced her thoughts. "How did you get here before us? We left the cafeteria before you did!"

Robin smirked and mysteriously replied, "I have my ways..."

"You took the stairs, didn't you?" Cyborg said.

"Maybe..."

The other members of Class Titan entered the classroom at that moment. After looking at the time, everybody decided that it would be wise to take their seats since class was going to begin any second. Raven sat next to Bumblebee in the front row. Kid Flash and Lumina were sitting in the other table that was in the front row. In the middle table of the back row were Robin and Starfire. Cyborg and Beast Boy sat to their right while Speedy and Aqualad were to their left.

Within thirty seconds of being seated, Question briskly entered the classroom. "Hello Class Titan. I am Question and I am going to be one of your teachers for this school year. You will learn how to improve your detective skills and how to get decent results from interrogations along with some other tasks that are similar to this field. Now, let's welcome the World's Greatest Detective, shall we?" Question gestured to the door, waiting for Batman to enter the room like they had planned.

Their plan didn't go according to plan.

Batman emerged from the tendrils of darkness and shadows and crept up behind his fellow Leaguer. When the Caped Crusader was directly behind Question without his notice, he stood up to his full height and whispered in Question's ear, "Boo."

Vic Sage visibly jumped and mentally cursed Batman.

"Now," Batman spoke with his gravely intimidating voice,"that's one of the things that you're going to be learning in this class: stealth. Stealth is extremely important because it enables you to surprise your enemy and allows you to sneak up on him or her. It can give you an advantage, if used properly."

Question coughed, glad that he had a mask that prevented anyone from witnessing his emotions. "First off, let's set some ground rules. I strongly suggest that you avoid passing notes in this class. One reason is that I'll read it to your fellow teammates. My other reason is that even if they're thrown away and you're not caught, I'll find it because I go through everyone's trash. If you need proof, all you have to do is ask Supergirl."

The two Leaguers spent the majority of the class period explaining the class rules and the basics of what they would be learning throughout the year. About fifteen minutes before the class period would end, Batman handed out a piece of paper to the students in the class.

"The sheet of paper I handed to each of you has five riddles. You are going to use deductive reasoning to find an answer to the riddle. These are due at the end of the class period so I suggest you get to work. Also, these papers will not be a grade and the purpose of it is to test your skills."

After writing her name at the top right corner, Raven read each riddle.

**1.** I pass before the sun, yet make no shadow. What am I?  
><strong>2.<strong> The man who makes it doesn't need it, the man who buys it doesn't use it, and the man he gives it to doesn't know he's using it. What is it?  
><strong>3.<strong> There is a room with two identical doors. One leads to happiness and good luck, and the other leads to terror and despair. There are two identical robots patrolling back and forth. You can ask one robot one question to find out which door to take. One robot will lie to you, and one will tell the truth. You cannot tell the difference between them. What question do you ask? Justify your answer.  
><strong>4.<strong> A woman shoots her husband, holds him under water for five minutes, and hangs him. When she's done, her husband tells her, "Good Job." How is this possible?  
><strong>5.<strong> What runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps?

Raven considered her answers for a few minutes for a few minutes before writing them down. She wasn't too sure about her answer for the fourth riddle, though.

The Azarathian studied everybody in the room. Astoria looked absolutely frustrated and as if she wanted to break the table in half. Beast Boy was bopping his head back and forth, seemingly dancing. Cyborg was staring at Beast Boy as if he belonged in a psychiatric ward. Robin was staring at Raven. Marvelous. Not.

Question stood in the front of the room and spoke, "The bell is going to ring in a couple of minutes. When it does, you're going to hand me your worksheet and report to your next class. Tomorrow, we're going to go over the answers to the worksheet and learn how to run a forensic scan, which will come in handy at one time or another."

The bell rang at that moment and everybody shuffled forward to give Question their worksheet. Then, as a group, the teenagers made their way to their next class: Weaponry with Hawkgirl and Green Arrow.

The Weaponry classroom was located near the gym and was the size of a small theater. Racks of lethal-looking weapons were placed accordingly to their size and components. Several targets were neatly fixated on the wall near the supply of arrows. Sturdy dummies were hanging from the ceiling, offering a myriad of decent hits before breaking.

Hawkgirl flew into the room, looking incredibly puissant. "First thing's first, there will absolutely be no horse-playing in this class, whatsoever. There are several weapons at your disposal in this room and we wouldn't want there to be any accidents."

A chorus of "yes, ma'am" filled the room, which seemed to satisfy the Thanagarian.

"Secondly, if an accident does occur, you are to immediately notify Green Arrow or myself of the incident before reporting to the medical wing. Understood?" Everybody nodded, and she continued, "Now, to begin this class, we're going to measure your height and calculate your weight to try to find the perfect weapon for you based off those measurements. That information will enable us to narrow down the list of weaponry and can guarantee a quicker way of figuring out which weapon has a suitable balance for you and basically agrees with you."

Green Arrow entered the room using a back door. He carried one of those nifty measuring scale widgets that determined your height and a scale that would measure your weight.

"Green Arrow will be at the station that measures your weight and I'll be at the other station. The boys will go to Green Arrow's station and he'll record his results. Then, you'll swap over to my station. Likewise for the girls, except the other way around. You're to wait until everybody's been accounted for and one of us will help you out. Under no circumstances are you to touch any of the weapons unless Green Arrow or myself permit it. Now, go," Hawkgirl gracefully landed at her station that was now set up thanks to her fellow Leaguer.

When it was Raven's turn to be measured by the Thanagarian, Hawkgirl questioned the Azarathian. "Are there any specific weapons you used in the past?"

"Kunai knives," Raven responded, thinking of all the weapons she had to train with back on Azarath.

"I see," Hawkgirl said, marking her results down on a clipboard.

The class continued on with the two superheroes writing down their results before showing each individual what weapon suited their psyche. Raven had rolled her eyes when Green Arrow tried to convince her that she could give Hawkgirl a run for her money with a mace. Nonetheless, the expert archer assigned her that weapon.

At the end of the class period, Raven had to admit that Weaponry hadn't been as interesting as her first period class. She could sense, however, that the class was going to get better when they started actually training with various weapons.

Class Titan hurried towards the gym, looking forward to Black Canary and Wonder Woman's class. Admittedly, the guys were practically just looking forward to seeing how hot the two women were up close. Idiots.

The gymnasium was just as spacious as yesterday, but seemed slightly larger since the bleachers weren't down. Large mats were strewn across the floor in the middle of the room. Black Canary and Wonder Woman were already waiting for the group of teenagers in the center of the room.

Black Canary smiled genuinely. "Welcome to your Hand To Hand Combat class. Can anybody tell me what hand to hand combat is, exactly?"

The Walking Traffic Light raised his hand in the air and Black Canary called on him. "Hand to hand combat is fighting within close range without firearms or weapons that are generally used from a distance. Usually, hand to hand combat refers to weaponless combat, although weapons such as knives and batons may be used."

"Excellent answer, Robin," Black Canary's smile grew larger. "Hand to hand combat is probably the most ancient fighting style known to man. There are several variations such as boxing and jousting in medieval times."

Wonder Woman cut into Black Canary's speech. "It has been said that Black Canary here can defeat Batman in a battle of hand to hand. What do you think, students?"

There were mixed responses. Half of the class believed that Black Canary could win against Batman while the other half believed it would be the other way around.

"I guess we're going to have to see about that one day," Black Canary laughed. "Just know that hand to hand is not a walk in the park. It requires dedication, patience, and perfection. You want to master these moves, otherwise you could get killed from your single mistake. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you pay close attention in this class and practice outside of the classroom."

"To start out the actual lesson," Wonder Woman said, "we're going to do some stretches. At first, they will not seem very difficult. In truth, they really are not. Soon enough, though, the stretches will become a little more vigorous. Each day, we will work on stretches for five to ten minutes because of safety regulations."

Wonder Woman and Black Canary sat down on their respective mat, waiting for the class to follow their example. Once everybody was sitting on a mat, the two female teachers leaned forward to touch their toes will sitting down. Everybody followed their example. They moved on to the butterfly stretch where their feet connected within close quarters to the rest of the bodies. To intensify that stretch, Black Canary and Wonder Woman rotated their abdomens, looking behind them several times. After that stretch, they lay down on their mats, lifted a leg up, and touched their toes while having your suspended leg remain straight. Once you were done switching legs, they started circling their legs in a manner similar to riding a bicycle. Soon enough, they were finished with their stretches.

Wonder Woman cleared her throat. "Now that we are finished with our stretches, we want you to put two mats together. After that is accomplished, Black Canary and I shall pair you up with one of your fellow students. We are going to demonstrate a few basic hand to hand movements and you're going to practice the moves with your partner."

Black Canary waited until every student finished their task before pairing up kids together. "Aqualad and Starfire. Beast Boy and Lumina. Speedy and Kid Flash. Bumblebee and Cyborg. Raven and Robin."

Raven groaned before moving to the mats where Boy Wonder was adamantly standing at. He grinned cheekily at her and she rolled her violet eyes at him. At least she wasn't the only one upset about the pairings; Speedy and Kid Flash had audibly voiced their disappointment.

The two superheroines showed Class Titan simple blocking maneuvers and basic offensive moves. To help the class comprehend the movements, Wonder Woman and Black Canary showed the class the maneuvers three times before having the class work on the moves. The two Leaguers walked around the gymnasium, studying the movements with calculating looks. If someone wasn't doing a movement very fluidly, a member of the Justice League corrected it.

Raven was frustrated. She was doing the moves flawlessly, but whenever Wonder Woman and Black Canary weren't looking, Robin demonstrated moves that weren't even showed by the two Leaguers. The empath had a strong sneaking suspicion that the boy was trying hard not to laugh at her repetitive failures. It's really not amusing when you're constantly knocked down, you know.

"Can you _please_ be serious?" Raven asked, trying to control her frustrated temper.

"I am," he smirked.

"You may have a more extensive knowledge of hand to hand combat, but I'd really appreciate it if you went along with what they teach during the class period."

"It could be worse, you know. I mean, I could be pinning you down and showing you just how_ extensive_ my knowledge really is," he whispered the last part in her ear.

Deciding to take advantage of the opportunity, Raven swiftly demonstrated one of the offensive maneuvers Black Canary and Wonder Woman had shown. Robin was clearly caught off guard, and landed on the mat disgruntedly. To prevent him from getting up, Raven applied pressure to his neck by using her foot.

"Don't get so cocky, _Boy Blunder_," Raven smirked and removed her foot from his neck.

"Excellent job, Raven!" Black Canary praised. "I can't _wait_ until I see Batman so I can inform him how somebody actually managed to get past his former sidekick's defenses!"

Robin glared at the Azarathian. Unfortunately, it didn't have much effect considering the fact that a mask covered his eyes.

A few minutes later, the class was dismissed and Class Titan made their way to Martian Manhunter's class. The classroom was located on the fourth floor and required the use of the elevator. The Battle Strategies classroom was the second door on the right. Unlike their previous classes, this classroom wasn't as large as the other one. It was also better lit than Batman and Question's classroom. A large chalkboard was adjacent to a small teacher desk. Hanging from the ceiling was a fancy projector. Two wooden bookshelves were near the walls, textbooks sloppily placed on the shelves. Single desks were haphazardly fixated within the room.

"Isn't this a fire hazard?" Kid Flash questioned.

Speedy replied, "It looks like a demon child decided to wreck havoc in this place."

The teenagers hesitantly took their seats, wondering what would be in store for this lesson. They had a sinking feeling it would end in disaster. Either that, or it would be absolutely strange.

Starfire, who was sitting at one of the desks in the back of the room. was examining her fingernails when it happened. A figure materialized behind her and clamped his hand on her shoulder. The Tamaranean shrieked and fell out of her seat, her eyes ready to send starbolts at the figure.

The figure phased through the floor and appeared in the front of the room. It was Martian Manhunter. "Hello Class Titan. I am Martian Manhunter and I will be your teacher for the year. Now, I am quite sure that you are wondering why I would teach this class. Why not Superman, Wonder Woman, or Batman? Even if it may not seem like it, I have experience with battle. It is horrendous and requires good strategies and tactics. Otherwise, you may find yourself to be in grave peril."

The class watched the superhero write 'Battle Strategies' on the chalkboard with an amazing handwriting that resembled calligraphy.

"I am the last of my kind," Martian Manhunter said when he finished writing with the chalk. "An unwelcome species from an unknown territory invaded Mars and stole our shapeshifting abilities. The Martians had been at the peak of prosperity and we were placid people. However, when the invaders infiltered our homeland, we quickly learned the ways of war. We were losing and in a desperate and final attack, a group of Martians set out to stop the attackers who liked living in perpetual darkness. I set out a powerful nerve gas that paralyzed the creatures before I sealed them in a chamber where they would be kept in suspended animation. The cost was too great and only I remained as the sole survivor of Mars."

The whole entire class felt bad for the Martian. They didn't pity him, though. Pitying him would have been uncalled for, especially since the situation had strengthened the Martian into becoming a superhero that would help serve justice.

"Now, can anyone tell me what's wrong with the set-up of this room?"

Thinking of the question he asked his fellow classmates when they entered the classroom, Kid Flash raised his hand. After being called upon, he said, "It goes against the fire safety regulations."

"Be as that may, we are not on Earth. I am quite sure that members in the League are capable and could easily dispatch the threat if the occasion were to arise. Any other reasons?"

Martian Manhunter frowned and looked disappointed when nobody raised their hand. Hesitantly, Raven slowly lifted her hand into the air. Martian Manhunter jutted his chin out in her direction, which was the equivalent of being called on. "Well, if you follow Kid Flash's theory of the design of the room creating a fire hazard, if a different situation occurred, it would be arduous to exit the room in an orderly fashion. So, if a situation similar to this happened on the battlefield, the people who are in a haphazard and disorderly position would be at a great disadvantage."

"Precisely. Excellent job, Raven," Martian Manhunter smiled at the Azarathian. "Now, along with battle strategies and tactics, you will learn how to escape dire situations, particularly if you are captured and held captive. This classroom will have quite a lot of experiments and missions, which Batman will help assist me with. This class will also require teamwork and believe it or not, dedication. Are there any questions?"

Cyborg raised his robotic hand in the air. "What type of experiments and missions are we talking about, exactly?"

"The experiments we will be dealing with will be similar to the one we are doing today," Martian Manhunter amicably replied.

On cue, a pretty blonde and blue-eyed woman entered the room, wheeling something in that was covered with light blue drapes. As she entered the room, her eyes locked onto Cyborg's. Her appearance astonished Cyborg. Even though one might say that her nose was too sharp and that her cheeks were a little too chubby, he thought she looked beautiful. Plus, her eyes emanated _such warmth..._

Unfortunately for the half-robot and half-man, she was the one who broke off the eye contact. She stood beside the Martian and the mysteriously covered widget.

"This is Sarah Simms," Martian Manhunter introduced the woman. "You will probably see her often since she plans to help out with this institute as much as she possibly can."

Sarah Simms waved to the class, a kind smile showing.

"The thing Ms. Simms brought into the classroom is a titanium enforced object which has the ability of neutralizing your powers. This experiment will require thinking outside of the box and your wits. Remember: you can't always depend on your powers."

Sarah removed the curtains and delicately set it on the desk near the chalkboard. Then, with final sweep of the room with her gaze, she exited the classroom.

"Now, I'm going to select a student to partake in this little project. Your objective is to find a way to get out," Martian Manhunter gestured to Beast Boy, who sullenly walked up to the front of the classroom.

After being strapped in the titanium bars, Beast Boy attempted to change into several animals. It didn't work, however. Frustrated, he began trying to say a ludicrously long tongue twister. "Betty Botter had some butter, 'But,' she said, 'This butter's bitter! If I bake this bitter butter, it will make my batter bitter. But, a bit of better butter, that will make my batter better!' So, she bought a bit of butter, better than her bitter butter, and she baked it in her batter, and the batter was not bitter. So 'twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter."

When the green lad realized that his annoying-ness was getting him nowhere, he began screaming (quite girlishly, one might say) at the top of his lungs. Sighing, Raven began to rub her temples. She definitely needed to meditate later because of Beast Boy.

"Cyborg! If you don't help me out of this stupid thing this instant, I'm going to stuff tofu down your throat when you're asleep! I'll even sneak it into your food and splatter it all over your walls! Don't doubt me and my ninja skills! I really will!" Beast Boy was pleading the larger boy, feeling a wedgie forming.

Scared, Cyborg immediately stood up and pressed the giant red button that would release the grass stain. Beast Boy began to profusely thank the half-robot, hugging him almost as tightly as Starfire would.

"Situations like this will get harder," Martian Manhunter stated. "In reality, it might almost even impossible considering your enemies will surround you. They won't play fair and won't listen to foolish threats. Be prepared, students."

Unfortunately for Class Titan, Martian Manhunter assigned them homework. They would have to fill out this worksheet with questions that contained exact details and explain how they would escape the situation. Believe it or not, it actually required a lot of pondering.

Without hurrying, the group made their way to the cafeteria where they would consume their lunch. Raven decided that since Starfire and Bumblebee weren't that bad, she would eat lunch with them. She grabbed a plate and made herself a hamburger with her desired toppings: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon. Oh, and ketchup. She dumped a few french fries on her plate and squirted a small amount of ketchup on the fries. Her beverage of choice was, of course, tea.

"So, what was your favorite class so far, guys?" Bumblebee asked the three other girls.

"I thought the class of hand to hand combat was most excellent! I must say that this glorious day needs my Pudding of Happiness!" Starfire gushed excitedly.

"Uh, I think I'll pass," Astoria's facial complexion paled even more than normal. "Anyways, I thought Martian Manhunter's class was pretty cool. Although, it sucks that he gave us homework. What about you, Raven?"

Raven thoughtfully chewed a french fry before answering Astoria's question. "I thought our first period class was interesting. It definitely offers something to look forward to."

"Those riddles were so damn hard!" Astoria exclaimed. "If my archenemy was similar to the Riddler, I would break their fucking face at any given moment!"

"Ouch," Bumblebee winced. "That seems kinda harsh, don't ya think?"

"Not at all."

"I agree with Raven, though. That class has a lot in store for us. Who knew the Batman could teach?"

The girls chatted for a while and Raven had to admit that she was actually considering them as friends.

"You don't eat very much," Bumblebee noted as they made their way to Science and Algebra with Atom. The empath had only eaten a fourth of her burger and only half of the fries.

"The tea is more than satisfactory," Raven said, opening the door to the classroom.

A Smart Board was propped on a white board. Several posters regarding math and science were neatly plastered along the smooth wall surface. A wooden bookshelf stood in the corner of the room, containing several thick textbooks. On the lowest shelf were two containers with graphing calculators in one tub while scientific calculators were in the other container. Two rows of desks filled the room, offering no cheating whatsoever. Several complicated problems were written on the Smart Board.

Astoria's face paled. "I'm so going to fail this class!"

Everybody reluctantly took their seats and took out a sheet of loose-leaf notebook paper. Like golden pupils, they began working out the flummoxing problems on the board.

Five minutes after the class was due to begin, Aqualad shrilly started yelling. On his desk was now a man who was casually staring at the long-haired lad. "Whoops. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

The Atom quickly stood up and made his way to the front of the classroom. "I am The Atom and I will be the one teaching you science and math throughout the school year. Each day, there will be problems on the board that you are to solve. You are to keep track of these papers because I will take them up after the twenty-fifth one. These will count as daily grades. Are there any questions?"

Beast Boy's hand immediately shot into the air. After Atom called on him to speak, Beast Boy blinked before saying, "What if you're stupid and don't understand this?"

Shaking his head, Atom kindly responded to Beast Boy's question. "We'll be going over the warm-up problems every day and I will explain them in greater detail if you don't understand. Also, if you are having problems with the lesson, I will also be here to help you comprehend it."

"_Oh, joy_!" Beast Boy mumbled, looking as if he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

The class period went by slowly with Atom trying to make the lesson as interesting as possible. At the end of the class period, they managed to score five sheets (front and back) of homework. Fun, right?_ Not._

Grumbling, Class Titan headed towards Zatanna's Literature class. One could only hope that it would improve their foul moods. Zatanna's class was located on the third floor and unlike Batman and Question's class, it was the first door they reached in the narrow hallway. The classroom was dimly lit with a mysterious vibe and setting. A plethora candles were levitated in the air, several scents such as magnolia, sage, vanilla, and lavender wafted into the air. Many bookshelves were crammed with books of different sizes. Posters and pictures hung on the wall. Some of the posters included Harry Potter, Romeo and Juliet, Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, Titanic, and several other ones. Instead of tables suited for two people and desks, the seating arrangement in the room consisted of circular tables with five chairs surrounding it. The walls were painted a deep and hypnotic type of purple that contrasted very well with the black floors. After being seated, black curtains opened up to reveal Zatanna.

"Welcome Class Titan to your Literature class! I am Zatanna and I shall be your teacher for the year," Zatanna's eyes gleamed with happiness. "Now, I'm pretty sure you're wondering why you have to learn about literature, math, and science when you're training to become a superhero. Well, when this institute was announced to the public, the government informed us that we would have to teach you some things that regular teenagers learn. Reluctantly, we obliged. Therefore, you have these types of classes."

The class watched as Zatanna gracefully treaded towards one of the bookshelves. After she browsed through some of the titles, she took out one of the smaller selections.

"When I was a little girl, one of my favorite stories was Alice in Wonderland. I thought it was a fun and amusing tale. Therefore, we're going to start off my class with this story and the poem known as the "Jabberwocky". For the remainder of the week, we'll be working with several poems and everything that goes with it, such as end-rhyme, which you should already know about. After that, we're going to working with a drama unit and improvisation scenes from a list that I will provide you with."

Zatanna walked directly towards Raven and asked her to read the poem to the class. Sighing, Raven examined the poem a couple of times before reciting the lines with a haunting tone.

"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;  
>All mimsy were the borogoves,<br>And the mome raths outgrabe.

'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  
>The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!<br>Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!'

He took his vorpal sword in hand:  
>Long time the manxome foe he sought-<br>So rested he by the Tumtum tree,  
>And stood awhile in thought.<p>

And as in uffish thought he stood,  
>The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,<br>Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,  
>And burbled as it came!<p>

One, two! One, two! and through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!  
>He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.<p>

'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?  
>Come to my arms, my beamish boy!<br>O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'  
>He chortled in his joy.<p>

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;  
>All mimsy were the borogoves,<br>And the mome raths outgrabe."

Zatanna was rather astounded by the Azarathian's flawless recital of the nonsense poem. A little stiffly, she said to the girl, "Excellent reading, Raven. I'm sure you'll do just fine during our drama unit."

The remainder of the class period was spent reading Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Even though the material greatly differed from Raven's usual readings, she supposed that the short story was decent.

Everybody in Class Titan began to hurry when they heard the toll of the bell. Their next class was Team Training with Flash, Aquaman, and Stargirl. This class was located in the gymnasium.

The three members of the Justice League were already waiting for the arrival of Class Titan. Slowly, the people in Class Titan crowded around their teachers.

"Hey, I'm Flash and I will be your teacher for the year," Flash grinned at the students before circling around the gymnasium in a scarlet blur. He stopped behind Bumblebee and tapped on her shoulder. "Tag! You're it!" The Scarlet Speedster then found himself standing beside Stargirl in less than two seconds flat.

Stargirl rolled her eyes. "I'm Stargirl and I strongly recommend that you ignore that idiot."

Flash protested. "And, I strongly suggest that you ignore the delusional blondie."

Aquaman coughed, successfully stopping an unnecessary argument from forming. "I am Aquaman, and I, too, will be your teacher for the school year."

Still slightly frustrated, Stargirl's gaze retreated back to the class before her. "We're going to start the class off a little unusually. Get out a pen or pencil and a sheet of paper."

The class followed Stargirl's instructions and waited for further directions.

"On your sheet of paper, you're going to write down something about yourself that you're self-conscious about or something that nobody else knows," Stargirl continued with her directions. "Then, we'll burn the pieces of paper. This point of this exercise is to get you thinking about trusting your fellow classmates, which is a good thing. Flash will collect your sheets of paper when you're done."

Everybody began writing on their sheets of paper. Raven spent a couple of minutes thinking of something that she could write down that didn't involve Trigon. Finally, she came up with a decent answer and wrote it down before neatly folding it in half.

After everyone was done, Flash used his incredible speed and collected all the papers. When that task was finished, he zoomed out of the room and returned with a plastic trash can. Aquaman dumped the papers in the bag while Flash dropped a match inside it. The contents within the trash can burst into flame. Soon enough, the papers were scorched beyond recognition, which was a good thing in the eyes of the kids in Class Titan.

Once that activity was finished, the teachers paired the students together to work on the simple trust exercise. Fortunately, Raven was not paired up with Beast Boy, but Cyborg.

"So, what do you think of the school?" Cyborg questioned the Azarathian.

"It's decent, I suppose. Not really what I expected, though," Raven said after she fell into his arms one more time.

"I would have to agree with that statement.

"So," Raven clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "did you kick Beast Boy's ass in your video game match?"

A small smile crossed Cyborg's face before he responded to her question. "Of course I did."

The class continued on in a manner similar to this, but with various trust exercises. A minute before the bell was due to ring, Aquaman demanded the attention of the class. "Excellent work, students! Tomorrow we will be working with the obstacle courses. Class dismissed."

The members of Class Titan slowly made their way to the area behind the gymnasium. They were wondering who would be teaching them. A minute after they arrived, Class Tenderfoot showed up followed by Class Honorary. As the tardy bell was ringing, Superman gently landed on the ground around the three classes and Batman seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

_Well, this class period was bound to be interesting..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Like promised, here's a longer chapter. Woo! I hope it was at least mildly humorous and not too rushed. Anyway, I did not come up with the riddles that were used in this chapter. Although, I would be interested to see what kind of answers you guys come up with. Plus, I do not own any content that was featured such as Alice in Wonderland. Also, out of curiosity, what was your favorite scene in this chapter? Anyhoo, thanks for all the reviews!


	6. Planning with Suicidal Thoughts

**A/N -** I'll be honest when I say that I meant to get this uploaded earlier. I was working on my novel, though. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

><p><em>The members of Class Titan slowly made their way to the area behind the gymnasium. They were wondering who would be teaching them. A minute after they arrived, Class Tenderfoot showed up followed by Class Honorary. As the tardy bell was ringing, Superman gently landed on the ground around the three classes and Batman seemingly appeared out of nowhere.<em>

_Well, this class period was bound to be interesting..._

"Hello students. Welcome to your last class of the day: Training! To begin with this class, we're going to be focusing on building up your stamina and endurance," Superman said, a smile plastered on his face.

"Three laps. _Now,_" Batman gruffly ordered, gesturing towards the track that was nearby.

While everyone else made their way towards the track, Superman told Kid Flash and Jesse Quick that they had to run fifty laps since their speed was considerably greater than the other students. They complied without complaint.

Raven set up a steady pace and quickly passed everyone else. In Azarath, she used to always hike in the majestic mountains every week. Therefore, she wasn't very slow. However, she wasn't nearly as fast as the speed of light. She was just a little faster than the average speed for a human, which was perfectly fine.

Unfortunately, a superhero clad in a particularly colorful costume matched her pace. Trying to avoid any conflict or conversation with Robin, Raven began pumping her legs a little faster than she had been previously. He easily kept her pace.

"I certainly hope that you aren't trying to get rid of me, Rae." Robin grinned cheekily at the Azarathian.

"Don't call me that," Raven snapped.

"Why not? After some consideration, I concluded that it's better than your previous nickname. It suits you better."

Raven rolled her eyes. "You don't even know me."

"Not yet," Robin said. Unbeknownst to the empath, his eyes were twinkling.

Raven shut her mouth and tried clearing her mind of any emotion. It was so difficult to keep her emotions under control whenever he was nearby. She always felt like she was going to explode with him around her. That particular result would definitely not be pleasant.

"So," Robin began after a few moments of silence between the two, "where are you from?"

"A dimension called Azarath."

"Was it nice there?"

"It was beautiful there," Raven hesitantly admitted. "There was absolutely no litter. Beautiful snow-capped mountains were located a few miles away from civilization. Exotic animals inhabited the dimension, truly amazing in their own way. The temples within the city were truly incredible, large and carefully constructed to showcase even the most minuscule of details. It was amazing."

Raven was astonished that she told him so much. She had never meant to. She hadn't even meant to tell him that she came from another dimension. Damn him.

"_Wow,_" Robin breathed. "If it was so beautiful there, why did you leave in the first place?"

Raven didn't answer. Robin didn't blame her.

Once the required amount of laps were finished, the students gathered around Batman and Superman. Of course, that was after a few stragglers, such as Astoria and Argent, were yelled at for walking.

"For the remainder of the period, we're going to pair you up to spar. You and your partner are going to be given bo staffs. Your goal is to beat your opponent. No blows above the shoulder. No powers. No kicks or punches; just blows from the bo staff. Batman is going to select two of you to demonstrate," Superman stated.

"Robin and Raven," Batman said, pointing towards a structure similar to a balance beam. Fortunately, it was slightly wider than the ones gymnasts use in the Olympics.

Superman handed the two students bo staffs and they hopped onto the beam, aware of the watching eyes. The two birds stared each other down for a few moments before Robin lunged forward. Raven barely evaded the staff, but her dodge gave her an opportunity to hit Robin's legs. Of course, he managed to dodge it by doing a backflip, landing gracefully on the end of the beam.

The two continued fighting, blocking and dodging. In some ways, it could be considered a deadly dance, full of poise, grace, and danger; an amazing, but dark, combination.

Finally, Robin gained a chance to overpower the empath. The Boy Wonder feinted a strike to the left before swiftly bringing the staff towards her hip. Seeing the move at the last possible second, Raven jumped off the beam and rolled out of his reach. In order to beat her, he would have to jump off the beam himself and come after her.

He did so.

Robin easily blocked all of Raven's attacks by spinning the bo staff left and right with an astonishing speed. Noticing that her attack was futile, Raven switched her tactic. She sloppily aimed the bo staff for Robin's chest. Robin blocked the attack with ease, knocking her bo staff out of her hands in the process. However, he didn't count on the Azarathian grabbing his own bo staff, turning his own weapon against him. The Boy Wonder spun out of the staff's reach, managing to twist Raven's arms in an uncomfortable position since they were both holding onto the weapon. Having the upperhand, Robin pushed forward with all his strength, sending the violet-haired empath to the ground. Swiftly, he pressed the end of the bo staff into her neck for three seconds.

The spectators burst into a round of applause, impressed with the fight they had just witnessed. Huffing, Raven stood up, glaring daggers at the superhero dressed in awfully bright colors.

"An excellent battle," Batman drawled, "but I'd advise that you don't hold back."

Robin nodded at his mentor before wiping away a sheen of sweat from his forehead.

"Cyborg and Pantha. Speedy and Bushido. Beast Boy and Jericho. Jesse Quick and Kid Flash..." Batman continued pairing up kids together to fight, while Superman spread them apart.

The rest of the class passed by uneventfully except for the very end when Bushido and Robin fought against Superman all at once using bo staffs. The two students beat Superman, resulting in laughter from the student body and Superman gaining a hurt ego.

"That is the perfect example why you shouldn't just rely solely on your powers," Batman wisely stated just as the bell rang, dismissing the students from their first day of school.

Raven walked with Bumblebee and Starfire to their tower, while Astoria left with Argent. As soon as they entered the common room, Bumblebee claimed the television, not wanting the boys to take over the living room. The petite girl flipped through the channels, stopping on a news channel that was showing a clip of Supergirl and Wonder Woman kicking some first grade villain ass.

"Friends Bumblebee and Raven, do you think the people of Earth will like us?"

"I don't see why not," Bumblebee responded. "I mean, will they have any reason to hate us?"

Starfire frowned for a few moments before grinning like a fool that won the lottery.

"I can't wait to see what else is in store for us here," Bumblebee happily stated.

"Aside from homework," Raven surprisingly joked.

"Aside from homework," Bumblebee repeated, laughing.

At that moment, the guys entered the room.

"So, dudes, this Friday night we should totally go to Jump City and party. Have fun before all this vicious homework will kill us!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"We're too young to go to nightclubs, BB," Cyborg sighed.

"Well, I know this one dude named Chuck Wolfeshlagelsteinhausenburger who knew this one dude known as I.P. Daley. Mr. Dude With The Bladder Of A Rhinoceros makes fake IDs. We can totally get in without getting thrown into the slammer!" Beast Boy grinned at his friends.

"You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me," Bumblebee said, stifling her laughter.

"I'm really not."

"I'm glad."

"There's an arcade in Jump City," Robin stated. "There's also a pizza joint nearby, along with a mall, bowling alley, ice skating rink, and a movie theater."

"Aren't arcades for seven year olds?" Speedy asked, not sounding very amused.

"Have joy in your life, man," Beast Boy said, looking hurt.

"I didn't say we had to go the arcade; it was just an option. If you wanna go to Jump, I just provided you a list of things you can do there that are perfectly _legal_ for your age."

"You're not the boss of me, _mother._" Beast Boy snorted.

"I need some new clothes," Bumblebee said, ignoring Beast Boy.

"How joyous! The world of shopping until the drop!" Starfire clapped her hands, ecstatic.

"I want to watch Harry Potter! Will Harry ever admit his undying love for Hermione? Will Ron finally learn to ride? A broomstick, of course. Get your minds out of the gutter. Will Flitwick's true nature be shown? Will McGonagall ever get thrown into Azkaban for statuary rape? Will I ever get my Hogwarts acceptance letter?" Kid Flash clutched his heart as if he were feeling immense heartache.

"Drugs gone wrong," Speedy mused.

"I bet I could pummel BB in bowling." A wicked smile appeared on Cyborg's face.

"No way, dude!"

"Yes way!"

_"No!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"No!"_

_"SHUT UP!"_ Aqualad screamed, shocking them all.

Everybody stared at Aqualad, wondering if he had anything to say.

"What? Do you have some brilliant idea that's going to make dead fish in the toilet wake up and dance to Lady Gaga?" Speedy incredulously asked, studying the look on Aqualad's face.

Aqualad glared at the boy who had immense skill with a bow and arrow. However, his magnificently brilliant idea made the ugly emotion disappear. "How about we sneak into Gotham City?"

_Somebody obviously had a death wish..._

* * *

><p>I apologize for this short chapter. It's a filler, I realize. There was a purpose behind it, though. I didn't want to include every single moment of their classes for the whole entire week for fear of boring you readers (and myself). Plus, I wanted the events of Friday night to be part of just one chapter. Therefore, you guys get a short chapter. However, I can guarantee that the next chapter will be longer. I'll try to start working on it as soon as possible and get it uploaded. Luckily, I'm on spring break, therefore more writing time. Woo!<p> 


	7. Havoc in Jump City

"I didn't mean to chuck a book at him and call him a pompous, overworking bastard!" Astoria exclaimed on Friday after the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

"What made you do that in the first place?" Bumblebee asked the blonde.

"I hate math! Whoever invented it should be hung! But, seriously! He's such an ass! All the lectures and pounds of work he expects us to do will be my demise!"

"The person who invented math is already dead," Raven quietly stated.

"Well, I hope vultures are pecking at his man parts for eternity in h-"

Astoria stopped speaking. In front of them in the hallway they were standing in were Hot Spot and Phantasm staring each other down, looking mad as hell. Lying on the floor near them was Argent, a horrified expression on her face.

"What the hell, man!" Hot Spot clenched his fists.

"You stupid loser!" Danny Chase, known to his fellow peers as Phantasm, yelled.

"I don't know if anybody ever told you this, but you don't hit girls. _Ever._ Unless it's a villain, of course. Other than that, don't lay a hand on a girl. It's not cool, despite whatever you've been told."

"I'm sorry she's a female dog that tried seducing me!"

Hot Spot's temper flared and he lunged towards the shorter and younger boy. Phantasm yelped and jumped off to the side. Quickly, the younger boy thought about the first object that caught his eye. Starfire's boot slid off her foot and went flying towards Hot Spot's face. Hot Spot ducked before it could whack him in the face.

Seeing that the gathering crowd was doing nothing, Astoria launched herself forward and grabbed Danny by his shirt. Then, she forcefully shoved him up against the wall. She was pissed off that this bratty kid had hurt her best friend.

_"Stop!"_ A voice echoed in the hallway.

Astoria immediately let go of Phantasm, letting him slide down to the floor. The boy released a quiet whimper.

The imposing, but intimidating, figure that was Hawkgirl stormed down the hallway. Shayera was pleased to see that Danny was released, albeit forcefully.

"What happened?" Hawkgirl demanded with her hands on her hips.

Before any of the spectators could answer, Phantasm blurted out, "She attacked me!"

Hawkgirl glanced at Astoria, recognizing her from earlier today. She sighed, "Looks like we're going to have to increase your punishment, Lumina. Tomorrow, you are to do six hours of community service in Jump City, in addition to your three hour service tonight.

Astoria wanted to do stomp her feet and scream like a little kid in kindergarten, but shut her mouth. It was already bad enough that she was going to have to wear a hideous jumpsuit and pick up trash for nine hours total. There was no need to add any more torture.

Hawkgirl turned on Danny Chase. "You will be joining Lumina tomorrow with her community services."

Astoria mentally groaned. She watched Hawkgirl exit the hall before kicking Phantasm in the back off his legs, sending him sprawling onto the tiled floor.

"Are you okay?" Hot Spot and Astoria questioned Argent simultaneously.

"Uh, yeah. Just a little startled. I wasn't expecting him to come from behind and push me."

"What was he talking about when he mentioned you seducing him?"

"I have no idea whatsoever. Maybe he's getting reality confused with his wet dreams." Argent shrugged and stood up with the help of Hot Spot.

"If he does anything like this again and I'm not around, you'll tell me, right?" A crease appeared on Hot Spot's forehead, making him look a couple years older. It also showed the concern clearly etched upon his face.

"Of course," Argent responded. "I'm sorry about your increased detention time, Astoria."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay. Anyways, I'd better head back to my tower and get ready. I certainly wouldn't want further punishment for being tardy for duty." Astoria gave a weak smile before rushing down the hallway in the direction of the Class Titan tower.

Raven, Bumblebee, and Starfire apologized to Argent about the predicament she had been in a few minutes ago before taking off for their tower. They needed to get ready for their trip to Jump City.

The three girls entered Starfire's room, deciding that it would be best to camp out there considering the wide array of makeup products that Starfire owned. Starfire's room was very... pink. A pink comforter covered the bed that was located against the wall, but fixated so it was in the middle of the room. This white, pink, and green vanity was pushed in the corner of the room, providing a wide surface area to work with along with four sets of drawers. A white wardrobe was on the opposite side of the wall from the vanity, next to the bathroom door. Pink stuffed animals littered her bed, along with the floor surrounding it. A pink drawer was next to the each side of the bed, a pink lamp located atop each surface. It hurt your eyes. Literally.

Raven sat down on the springy bed, watching the other girls get ready. Bumblebee was straightening her brown curls while Starfire was carefully applying black liquid eyeliner to her eyelid, extending it out towards her brow for the smoky eye effect. The alien had opted for a silvery and glittery eyeshadow that made her eyes pop; the eyeliner giving it the final and full effect. Once Bumblebee's hair was perfectly straight, she started applying her makeup. A bright yellow eyeshadow covered the dark-skinned girl's lids with a hint of black above the yellow, focusing on the outercorner. A thick line of black eyeliner covered Bumblebee's eyelids, slanting upwards ever so slightly towards the black eyeshadow. Starfire's and Bumblebee's makeup was not overly dramatic and suited them perfectly.

"Friend Raven, I do believe that now it is your turn of the making up and hair doing," Starfire said, grinning.

"No," Raven responded in her usual monotone voice.

"Come on, Raven! Have some fun!" Bumblebee tried to convince the gothic empath,

Raven raised an eyebrow. "I'm going, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but don't you wanna look hot? Maybe impress a certain someone?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not oblivious, nor am I stupid. I noticed how you and Robin always seem to have these... _interactions._ Plus, you guys have the tendency to fight like an old married couple. Loads of sexual tension, too."

A bottle of perfume exploded on a shelf in the room.

"Someone seems a bit scared about their feelings," Bumblebee said with a sing-song tone to her voice.

"Not in a million years."

"He seems to be into you, though!"

"He's cocky."

"He's trying to impress you!"

"He's embarrassing to be around."

"He has good looks with a body to match!"

"He has the charm of a bumbling baboon."

"Well, baboons must be one hot mess, then."

"Bumblebee?"

"Hm?"

"I hate you."

"So, is that your weird way in saying that you're willing to come with us all dressed up?" A wicked grin spread across Bumblebee's face.

"Unfortunately. I think Boy Blunder hit my head too hard in Training today."

"You even have a nickname for him!"

_"I still hate you."_

**-Meanwhile With The Boys In The Common Room-**

"I have to pee!" Beast Boy whined.

"Then go!" Cyborg said, flabbergasted.

"I might drown, though!"

"That wouldn't be the worst thing to happen," Aqualad muttered to himself.

"I heard that!"

Before the two boys could argue, Robin intervened by changing the subject. "Why do girls take so long?"

"Because they're weird creatures?" Kid Flash supplied helpfully.

Beast Boy giggled. _Yep._ Actually giggled. Quite scarily, too, one might add.

"I'm starving!" Cyborg exclaimed, thinking of all the toppings he liked to put on his pizza.

The guys surrounding Cyborg, minus Beast Boy who went to the bathroom, chorused, "We know!"

"I just wish they would hurry up, jeez!"

Five minutes later, they heard footsteps descending the stairs. Starfire was the first person to enter the common room, followed by Bumblebee. Raven was nowhere in sight.

Starfire was wearing a purple cocktail dress where the skirt of the dress flowed out mid-thigh. The bodice of the dress was tight, showcasing Starfire's curves and a hint of cleavage. There were no special designs on the dress. Rather, it was beautiful in its simplicity. Instead of her usual purple boots, her feet were clad in purple heels with three ruffled roses covering the front, arching upward. Her hair was curled to the point where it was wavy and voluminous.

Bumblebee wasn't wearing a dress, which really wasn't that shocking. She was wearing a strapless yellow blouse that had ruffles and a wavy flair at the bottom of the shirt. A black belt that came with the shirt added an edgy style. Bumblebee's legs and hips were hugged by form-fitting black jeans. To finish off the look, Bumblebee was wearing black gladiator heels. Her hair was straightened, the tips reaching up to her shoulders. She looked... well, different. In a good way, though.

_"Raven!"_ Bumblebee yelled, her voice carrying up the stairs.

Reluctantly, Raven made her way down the staircase, shocking the boys in the room. She was wearing a lowly cut tank top with a sequin embellished neckline that moved downwards in the center. The fabric was a dark shade of purple and was ruching in the front. The shirt also showed a bit of cleavage. Black skinny jeans covered her slender legs. Unlike Starfire and Bumblebee, she was wearing black flats that had a bow on the edge. Raven also wasn't wearing eyeshadow, but was wearing more eyeliner than the other two girls. The eyeliner surrounded her eye and was purposely smudged ever so slightly underneath her waterline. Mascara extended her lashes farther out, completing the look. Like usual, her hair was straight, but was pushed back with the help of a barrette. Since she never applied makeup and never dressed up, she looked completely different.

_"Wow..."_

Raven protectively crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Bumblebee and Starfire before studying the guys and their appearance.

Aqualad was wearing a Stevie Wonder t-shirt and blue denim jeans. Blue sneakers covered his feet. Speedy's choice of apparel included a black shirt that said _"Warning! Hazardously Wasted!"_, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. Cyborg had his special ring on and was wearing a gray hoodie and classic jeans. Kid Flash had on a t-shirt where Snoopy was relaxing with the words _"Full Time Job"_ printed on the front. Beast Boy was, well, green. He was also wearing an outfit similar to one a burgular might wear. Robin was wearing a simple black t-shirt and a jacket that was a dark shade of blue. He was wearing jeans that hung loosely around his waist and black sneakers. Instead of his mask, he was wearing sunglasses. All of them looked casual.

"How did you convince Raven to be all... _woah_?" Beast Boy asked, thoroughly confuzzled.

"With persuasion skills that exceed a sales man's." Bumblebee grinned.

"So," Aqualad said, "we can split up, right?"

"Yeah," Robin answered. "Just meet up with us at Pizza Planet at seven."

"Sweet," Aqualad whistled, looking forward to almost three hours of free reign.

Class Titan made their way down the stairs towards the transportation deck. They found a launching pod and set the coordinates for Jump City. Raven sat down on the bench and held on to a handlebar, not wanting to work with the complicated seat belt. She felt a lurching sensation in the pit of her stomach as the pod transitioned itself away from the launching deck. A couple seconds later, the vehicle started speeding towards Earth at an incredible speed. Traveling between dimensions didn't even make you feel this sick.

Beast Boy and Starfire were screaming at the top of their lungs. Frankly, it was an ear-splitting sound and it was a wonder that anybody within the pod didn't suddenly go deaf. Unfortunately for Raven, Beast Boy, who had been sitting next to her, started clutching her out of fear. Raven wanted to smack him, but didn't because that would mean letting go of the handlebar.

Five minutes later, the launching pod safely landed in a wide alley that was out of the public eyes. Once they had all exited the vehicle, it took off towards space. Beast Boy sprinted towards a trash can and started throwing up his guts along with Aqualad.

"You know, you should be glad that he wasn't drooling on you," Cyborg remarked, intently looking at Raven. She agreed.

Once the disorientated feeling that everyone was feeling dissipated, the group left the alley and headed for the center of the city, which wasn't that far away.

"I officially hate space travel," Beast Boy grumbled.

Speedy grinned at the green lad. "I thought it was pretty fun, to be honest. Kind of like an insanely killer roller coaster."

"You're weird," Aqualad and Beast Boy recited at the same time.

Starfire squealed when she saw Jump City's mall looming ahead. "Friend Raven, do you wish to accompany Friend Bumblebee and myself in the world of shopping?"

"I'll pass," Raven replied.

"Are you quite sure, Friend Raven?"

"Positive."

Starfire nodded before dragging Bumblebee towards the two-story mall. Against his better judgment, Speedy followed the two girls. Aqualad and Kid Flash headed off in the direction of the arcade. Raven decided just to stick with Cyborg, Robin, and Beast Boy. Unfortunately, the three boys wanted to go bowling.

The bowling alley was moderately full with half of the lanes taken up. Music blasted from the stereo system, providing an upbeat environment. Flashing signs were elevated on the walls, looking pretty nifty with their neon colors. Posters of famous celebrities, such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, lined the wall. The wooden floors were squeaky clean. Several tables filled the room, placed near the bowling lanes. Orange and red chairs surrounded the tables.

Beast Boy pestered Raven by trying to convince her to play. She gave in before this hippie's lava lamp exploded.

After putting on the hideous used shoes required for the game, Raven followed the boys to the lane the woman behind the desk had indicated.

Cyborg bowled first and managed to knock seven of the pins down. After retrieving his bowling ball, he released the ten pound ball and did a fist pump when the three remaining pins fell over, earning him a spare.

Using both his turns, Beast Boy only knocked down four pins. Isn't he a pro?

When Raven stood up to bowl, a new song began playing from the sound system. She picked up a small bowling ball and stared at the boys with pleading eyes.

_'So she said what's the problem baby What's the problem I don't know Well maybe I'm in love (love)_  
><em>Think about it every time I think about it Can't stop thinking 'bout it'<em>

"Go!" Beast Boy gestured towards the pins.

"Can I just use my powers?"

"No," Robin said flatly.

"Why not?" Raven huffed.

"It'll attract attention to us."

Raven waved at Beast Boy with a flabbergasted expression. "He's green!"

"If anyone asks," Beast Boy said, "I'll say that I'm friends with idiots who thought it would be funny to paint my body green."

"They won't believe that!"

"It's more believable than seeing someone move an object with their mind!"

Robin interrupted Beast Boy's and Raven's argument. "Do you even know how to bowl?"

"...No."

Robin stood up and led the flustered empath towards the bowling lane.

_'How much longer will it take to cure this Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love)_  
><em>Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love<em>

_Come on, come on Turn a little faster Come on, come on The world will follow after Come on, come on Cause everybody's after love'_

Robin stood behind her and delicately placed his hands on her hips and rotated her body so she was in the correct standing position. He adjusted the bowling ball in her hand so it was in a comfortable position for Raven to hold.

"Now pull your arm back and release it when you're arm moves in front of you on the way back."

Raven did as he said. It winded up being a gutter ball. Beast Boy chuckled and Cyborg elbowed him in the ribs.

_'So I said I'm a snowball running Running down into the spring that's coming all this love Melting under blue skies Belting out sunlight Shimmering love_

_Well baby I surrender To the strawberry ice cream Never ever end of all this love Well I didn't mean to do it But there's no escaping your love'_

Robin retrieved the ball for her and showed her how to do it once more. This time, however, he held onto her arm and helped her aim it. He swung her arm back and released it at the right time. The ball quickly rolled across the slick wooden paneling before knocking down every single pin.

_'These lines of lightning Mean we're never alone,_  
><em>Never alone, no, no<em>

_Come on, Come on Move a little closer Come on, Come on I want to hear you whisper Come on, Come on Settle down inside my love'_

Raven looked up, gazing up at Robin's face. A faint blush crossed her face and she awkwardly thanked him.

_'Come on, come on Jump a little higher Come on, come on If you feel a little lighter Come on, come on We were once Upon a time in love_

_We're accidentally in love Accidentally in love [x7]_

_Accidentally_

_I'm In Love, I'm in Love,_  
><em>I'm in Love, I'm in Love,<em>  
><em>I'm in Love, I'm in Love,<em>  
><em>Accidentally [x2]<em>

_Come on, come on Spin a little tighter Come on, come on And the world's a little brighter Come on, come on Just get yourself inside her_

_Love... I'm in love'_

The blush on Raven's face grew more noticeable when she listened to the words of the song. Robin chuckled and released her. The gothic empath mentally cursed him.

**-Meanwhile With Astoria And Her Community Service Duty-**

Astoria furiously stabbed at the pieces of trash, cursing everybody that thought it was a bloody brilliant idea to litter. Thanks to them, she had to spend quality time doing this.

Her jailer walked past Astoria, purposely blowing her shrill whistle in the teenager's ear. The shrewd lady gave Astoria the evil eye before emptying out a nearby trash can on the surrounding land.

Astoria wanted to smack her.

After ten excruciating minutes, the jailer received a call on her cell phone. The call continued for five minutes before the woman briskly left the area and told Astoria not to slack off.

_Hallelujah!_

As soon as Astoria's jailer was out of sight, she sat down on a patch of grass and stared up at the clouds and the darkening sky.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out here?" A voice said from behind.

Astoria craned her neck behind her, alert. Behind her was a boy around her age. He had shaggy brown hair, a sharp nose, and an angular face. The boy was wearing khaki shorts and a brown and red flannel. However, it was his eyes that caught the majority of her attention. They were absolutely captivating. His eyes were a stunning blue with flecks of gold and green. It wasn't strange, though. Rather, it was... different.

After concluding that he was no threat to her, Astoria gave him a flirtatious smile. "Well, let's just say that I've been a bad girl."

The boy laughed. "How about you and I go to this restaurant that recently opened up? It's just around the corner."

"I can't. If my jailer comes back and finds me gone..." Astoria mimicked having her head cut off.

"That's a shame," he said, looking disappointed.

"So, what's your name? I didn't quite catch it."

"That's because I didn't give it," the boy said with a wink before jogging away.

Perfect timing, too. As soon as he rounded the corner, the shrewd lady appeared, looking pissed off.

"What are you doing on the ground?" Jailer Lady spat.

"I thought I found a ladybug," Astoria lied, not sounding very convincing.

"Well, get back to work!"

Rolling her eyes, Astoria went back on task. Her mind kept flickering back to the boy and the mysterious charm he had. Silently, she vowed that she would find him again...

**-Meanwhile With Starfire, Bumblebee, And Speedy In The Mall-**

The trio got off the escalator that led to the second floor of the mall. Bumblebee and Starfire had already bought two bags of clothes each. All Speedy bought was a pack of spearmint gum.

Getting weary of watching the girls try on hundreds of clothing, Speedy excused himself and started walking towards the restroom. He noticed that the bathroom was completely empty, but he didn't think anything of it. After satisfying his bladder, he went towards the sink to wash his hands.

The ginger hero looked up at the mirror as the water ran down his hands. In the reflection of the mirror was Speedy himself and a dark-skinned man with several scars etched on his face.

The hostile looking man was the last thing Speedy saw aside from a metal baton...

**-Meanwhile With Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, And Robin-**

"I can't believe you got us kicked out of a bowling alley," Robin dryly remarked, looking at Beast Boy.

Beast Boy began flailing his arms around like a madman. "That little kid chucked a ball at my face!"

"You were giving him weird looks!"

"He looked cool! I didn't think it would burst his bubble!"

"The point is," Robin said, "you don't do that. At least not in public."

"You don't throw twelve pound bowling balls at people's faces, either!"

"It's your fault you provoked him," Raven said, amused.

Cyborg sighed, "I can't believe security guards had to chase you down, BB."

"They were trying to attack me with tasers! Of course I was going create some havoc! _And, dude!_ Since when do bowling alleys have security guards?"

"Since idiots like you were born," Raven answered.

_"HEY!"_

Before their game had been interrupted, Robin had been in the lead followed by Cyborg, then Raven. Beast Boy showcased his "epic ninja skills" marvelously, wouldn't you agree? _Not._

"So, what now?" Cyborg asked Robin.

Robin glanced at his watch. "Well, we have about an hour and a half to kill before we agreed to meet up with everyone else..."

"Sweet! Arcade time!" Beast Boy shouted, making some bystanders look at them like they belonged in a mental institute.

Sighing, Cyborg, Raven, and Robin followed the green lad towards the arcade that was a couple blocks away. Cyborg was beside Beast Boy while Raven and Robin trailed behind a little bit.

Raven shivered, feeling the temperature steadily dropped. It was going to be a chilly night, it seemed.

"Are you cold?" Robin asked, concerned.

"No," Raven lied. The lie wasn't convincing whatsoever.

"Here, wear my jacket." Robin shrugged himself out of his jacket and placed it on Raven's shoulders.

Raven rolled her eyes and gave the jacket back to Robin. "No, take it. It's your jacket and you'll be cold without it."

"You'll be cold in that tank top, though. Besides, this is nothing that I can't handle. In fact, I've been through much worse."

"I don't care. Keep it."

"Now, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't let you wear my jacket?"

"A smart one," Raven replied.

"Seriously, Raven. Wear it. I insist."

Groaning, Raven allowed Robin to put the jacket on her. The thought that instantly crossed her mind was that it brought a lot of warmth. The second thought that entered her mind was that it smelled really good. A mixture of Robin's natural scent mixed with his usual cologne. It was enticing. Raven shook her head, clearing her mind of those thoughts that came out of absolutely nowhere.

"Thank you," Raven mumbled.

Robin shoved his hands in his pockets and continued following Cyborg and Beast Boy.

Within a few minutes, the group of teenagers arrived at the arcade. There were several flashing lights in the dimly lit place. Several gaming machines were spread across the room, some smushed together and some far apart. A long counter was on the opposite side of the room, a place to redeem tickets for prizes. Then, there were the screaming children running amuck and playing games.

_"Great..."_ Raven sighed, feeling a headache already coming on.

**-Meanwhile With Kid Flash And Aqualad-**

"Dude, I have a feeling that people think we're gay lovers or something," Kid Flash stated.

"Why would they think that?" asked Aqualad.

"We're two dudes walking with each other in a big city. People in the big cities are cruel, ya know. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that I'm holding a bouquet of flowers for your fish friend's funeral!"

Aqualad smacked him on the arm.

"You know, that's not helping the situation. People might think we're having a quarrel between lovers."

"We're almost there, if that helps. So you may as well chillax," Aqualad grumbled.

"You know, this is not my ideal vision of a Friday night. Just letting you know," Kid Flash told his companion. "I'd very much rather sneak into Gotham City."

"What did you think we were doing?" Aqualad snorted.

"You mean we're not throwing any fishy weddings or funerals?"

"Yeah."

Kid Flash threw the flowers on the asphalt and began stomping on them like a monkey going on a rampage.

"So, why are we going to Gotham, exactly?" questioned a clueless Kid Flash.

"Well... one of my prized possessions was stolen. I'm coming to retrieve it."

**-Meanwhile At Wayne Manor-**

"Hello Alfred," Diana, Princess of the Amazons said. "Is Bruce home?"

"Miss Diana, this is quite unexpected. A pleasant surprise, I must assure you. Unfortunately, Master Bruce currently has company."

"Company? Who is it, may I ask?"

Alfred fidgeted uncomfortably.

Diana received her answer when she heard a recognizable voice carry all the way from the kitchen. She would know that voice anywhere. "It has Two-Face written all over it!"

"How can you be so sure, Selina?" Bruce's voice asked.

"I was busy robbing a museum. However, I slacked off a little bit and didn't thoroughly search the place for any traps that could be inside. Before I could reach the relic that I was planning on stealing, I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was hanging upside down above a tank of acid. Does that ring a bell?"

Diana couldn't hear the conversation anymore. She grimaced and apologized to Alfred for eavesdropping.

"Do you think you could let Bruce know that I stopped by?" Diana asked the butler.

"Of course, Miss Diana. I hope you have a splendid evening." After bidding each other goodnight, Alfred closed the front door and Diana took off for the skies.

**-Meanwhile With Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, And Robin-**

"Is there anything you can't do?" Raven bewilderingly questioned Boy Wonder.

Robin wrinkled his nose. "I can't cook."

"Raaaa-veyyyn!" Beast Boy called from the other side of the room.

Reluctantly, Raven headed towards Beast Boy, not wanting him to cause a huge scene.

"I challenge you to a game of air hockey!" Beast Boy jumped up and down like a kid that's excited to be getting a puppy. Personally, Raven wished that the green lad would shift into a puppy so she could ship him off to Istanbul where some kid could possibly enjoy his company. Not very likely, though.

Raven glanced at the neon clock on the wall, noticing that it was nearing seven o'clock. "Fine, but we're leaving after this game."

"And after we redeem our tickets!"

Sighing, Raven grabbed the puck and a air hockey mallet. Beast Boy entered a dollar into the machine and the machinery turned on, now eligible to reduce friction and give a faster game speed.

"You are so going down! Like Donkey Kong!" Beast Boy hooted, bending forward with his mallet in hand.

"I can't contain my excitement," Raven exclaimed in her usual monotone voice, not sounding excited at all.

Within five minutes, the air hockey match was completed. Beast Boy had managed to knock the puck off the table fifteen times and somehow accomplished the feat of whacking himself in the face with the puck when trying to send it to Raven's goal. As amazing as those epic failures are, he managed to beat Raven. Outstanding, huh?

The superhero teenagers stood in the line, waiting for the querulous kids to decide what prize they deemed worthy of bringing home. After what seemed like an eternity to the gothic empath, the kids in front of them finished up and left the arcade.

"Hello," the woman at the counter greeted the teenagers.

"Uh, yeah, hi. Can I get that giant chicken over there?" Beast Boy pointed to the top of the wall and showed the lady the printed piece of paper that said how many tickets they had redeemed. "Um, the movie Wicked Scary, too. Also, the rubber ducky over there along with that shiny thing and that rubber tire."

The lady behind the counter gave Beast Boy a horrified expression before handing him the objects.

Before leaving the arcade, Beast Boy handed Raven the giant chicken. "I got you a prize! Do you like it?"

"A giant chicken. I must be the luckiest girl in the world," Raven flatly responded before dropping it. Some little kid with ninja skills rolled over and snatched it up before Beast Boy could retrieve it.

Starving, the four members of Class Titan speed walked over to the general direction of the pizza joint. When they arrived at the restaurant, they were greeted by Starfire and Bumblebee. Speedy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad were nowhere in sight.

"Where's Speedy?" Robin asked, recalling how the ginger went with the two girls to the mall.

"He ditched us at the mall," Bumblebee said. "He said something about finding Kid Flash and Aqualad."

"Are you sure?"

Bumblebee hesitated for a moment before replying, "Pretty sure, yeah."

"You know how they are. They probably lost track of time," Cyborg said.

Sighing, Robin led the group over to a large circular table. The three guys would be able to handle themselves if anything happened. Besides, they weren't that stupid, right?

A waiter that appeared to be in his thirties took their orders within two minutes of sitting down. He returned a few minutes later with six drinks on a platter. Pretty soon, he skated away to another table.

"So, did anything interesting happen to you guys?" Bumblebee asked after taking a sip of her root beer.

"We got kicked out of a bowling alley," Cyborg replied flatly.

Bumblebee burst out with laughter while Starfire looked confused.

"That kid should be locked up in juvie..." Beast Boy defended himself.

"So should you, Beast Boy, so should you..." Raven remarked.

"You guys are mean!"

"How about you guys?" Robin glanced at Starfire.

"It was most magnificent!" Starfire beamed.

Bumblebee snorted, "Some idiot was running around the mall wearing a gorilla mask. He fell down the escalator and had to be rushed to the hospital. Moral of the story? Don't get dumped by a girl who works at a costume and makeup store."

The guys burst out into laughter before asking Bumblebee if the man dressed up as a gorilla was okay. She told that he was and was lucky to face only a couple broken bones and a minor concussion. _Hey!_ At least it was better than death.

Soon enough, the pizza arrived and the members of Class Titan dug into their meal. Midway through the meal, however, Beast Boy noticed a little boy that was about five years old run across the street. He looked for any signs of incoming traffic and noticed a black van rushing towards the kid. The boy reminded him of a deer trapped in headlights.

The green teenager leaped up, sprinting towards the road as if his life depended on it. He jumped, catching little boy by surprise. They rolled over a couple of times, stopping on the sidewalk. The car zoomed past, completely disregarding the fact that it had almost crushed a child (and a funny looking teenager).

Before Beast Boy could get up, he saw a gigantic (and hairy) man leap off a nearby building, landing not-so-gracefully in the middle of the street in front of the pizza shack. Following him was a midget whose body was attached to metallic arms similar to the way a spider's legs were designed. After he landed on the road, a skinny person dressed completely in black and green gracefully landed beside him. The final person to arrive on the scene was even wearing a mask that covered his or her's facial features.

The trio also happened to be a threat.

Aside from Beast Boy, the members of Class Titan that had previously been sitting down immediately stood up.

"_TITANS! GO_!" Robin shouted, wanting to say something catchy that wasn't totally stupid. Of course, the phrase would have been much more effective if the group had been wearing their costumes.

Starfire quickly flew up into the air, sending a plethora of starbolts towards the largest threat. The bolts seemed to have no effect on the creature other than annoying him. The giant man grabbed onto a lamppost and threw it with immense force towards the alien. Starfire barely dodged it.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven yelled, wrapping a nearby dumpster in her dark aura. The large trashcan rocketed towards the giant, whacking him in the face. He grunted, turning his attention on the gothic female.

Seeing a small advantage, and deciding to take it, Cyborg took off his ring, revealing his cybernetic body. His right arm changed to reveal a sonic cannon. Cyborg aimed the blast towards the large man and was proud to see that the target had been hit. The giant ended up flying about ten feet away, landing uncomfortably on his buttocks.

"Mammoth! You're supposed to avoid getting hit by these snot-munchers!" The pint-sized kid screamed with a high pitched voice.

"How old are you? Seven?" Bumblebee asked, not impressed. Before he could reply, the dark-skinned girl swiftly took out one of her electric stingers and poked the midget in the stomach with it. The boy, Gizmo, gasped as he felt a surge of energy run through his veins.

Robin launched himself at the disguised person, a retractable bo staff in hand. It was a wonder how he had managed to conceal the weapon on him. The person evaded the blow that was sent their way and aimed a kick to his stomach. Naturally, Robin deflected the blow. Quickly, he grabbed the person's leg, twisting it. The person fell onto the ground and rolled over before the Boy Wonder could get the opportunity to pin them down to the ground.

Beast Boy was about to join the fight when he saw a large chunk of concrete speeding towards the frightened little boy. Quickly, the changeling grabbed the boy and carried him away from all the action.

Raven launched herself up in the air as a run-down car slammed itself into Mammoth's side, courtesy of her powers. Glancing over towards Bumblebee, she saw that Gizmo seemed to be taken care of. Bumblebee looked up and threw one of her stingers at the gigantic being. Since her attention was focused on Mammoth, she didn't see the midget get up off the ground. She hissed in pain as a taser was pressed forcefully against her back. The dark-skinned female passed out, down for the count.

Robin was still fighting the mysteriously cloaked figure, trying to gain the upper hand. In order to evade a series of martial art movements performed by the cloaked opponent, Robin did a quadruple somersault, gracefully landing a few feet away.

Seeing how continuing with the battle was futile, the cloaked figure shouted, "Retreat!"

Gizmo and Mammoth reluctantly stopped fighting and fled. The cloaked figure followed them, managing to avoid any hits from the members of Class Titan while maintaining a consistent speed. The process seemed to loosen the mask that the person was wearing.

The last thing the members of Class Titan saw before several police cars showed up was a flash of pink...

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** And so the plot thickens...

So, yeah, this is the quickest update I've ever made for this story. Awesome. It's a longer chapter, too. What a bonus. Anyway, there's a quote from the show hidden in the chapter somewhere. Can you find it? Also, what was your favorite scene/moment in the chapter? I'm curious. By the way, I do not own the song_ Accidentally in Love_ by Counting Crows.

**Questions To Think About:**

What's up with Danny Chase AKA Phantasm?  
>Who's the guy that was talking to Astoria during her community service?<br>Who's the mysterious guy that knocked Speedy out in the bathroom mall?  
>What will happen to Speedy?<br>Does the kid who chucked a bowling ball at Beast Boy's face have an ounce of importance within him?  
>Will anybody ask Raven about the jacket?<br>What was stolen from Aqualad?  
>Why was Diana at Wayne Manor?<br>What was Selina talking about with Bruce?  
>Who's the mysteriously cloaked figure that was with Mammoth and Gizmo?<br>Is Bumblebee okay?

Thanks for reading!


	8. Flooding with Trouble

"Help me! Raven, please help me!"

Raven calmly stared at the person in front of her, a wry expression making its way across her face. This situation was _classic._

In front of her was Beast Boy sitting in a diminutive cell in Jump City's local prison. The teenager was still clad in his black burglar-like clothes. However, there was a change in the apparel. They were ripped and torn.

Beast Boy had to share a cell with three men who had... _colorful_ personalities. The oldest man in the cell was acting like a dog. Literally. He kept barking and continuously tried peeing on the green lad. A muscular man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties kept glaring at anybody that walked past and kept squeezing a rubber ducky. Raven thought there were drugs hidden inside the toy considering the fact how he kept anxiously looking at it. The third man was bespectacled and was practically skin and bone. It was a wonder how the scrawny man came to be in the slammer. Once you studied him for a while, however, it was a no-brainer.

"Raven! I'll be your best friend! Just please get me out of here!" Beast Boy literally got down on his knees, pleading with the gothic empath.

Let's go back a little bit, shall we?

After Mammoth, Gizmo, and the mysterious person made their escape, the police arrived on the scene. Completely ignoring the super-powered heroes, the police officers sprinted towards Beast Boy and handcuffed the flummoxed teenager. Apparently, he bore a striking resemblance to the mysteriously cloaked figure. He was accused of breaking and entering, vandalism, and pedophilia. Yep, pedophilia. Shocker, right? Then, after forcing the changeling into a police car, the car sped away to the police department. Another car stayed behind to interrogate the members of Class Titan.

Only, they weren't there.

Since the police officers had been so distracted, Raven transported them all to an alley that was a few blocks away. The group didn't need to be pestered with questions and risk the possibility of getting thrown into their own jail cell because of some bizarre misunderstanding.

The group examined Bumblebee, checking to see if she was alright and needed immediate medical attention. They discovered that one of her ribs was cracked from the hard impact on the solid ground. She also suffered from a minor concussion. Raven healed the dark-skinned girl, shocking the other teenagers. They had no idea that Raven had the ability to heal. It just didn't fit in with her personality. After the quick healing session, Bumblebee jolted awake, a little sore, but alert.

A while later, Robin received a phone call on his cell. Beast Boy was loudly wailing on the other line about how he was arrested and scared out of his mind.

It was Boy Wonder's _brilliant_ idea to send Raven to the police department to try to get Beast Boy out before ten o'clock. Robin and the other members of Class Titan were going to go try find Speedy, Aqualad, and Kid Flash. He gave the Azarathian his cell phone and told her that if she needed to contact him, Cyborg's built-in communicator would be able to reach a signal.

Reluctantly, she went.

And here they were.

"Why don't you just use your... _skills_... and leave?" Raven asked, referring to his shape-shifting ability.

"My epic ninja skills are only so epic!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Your other skills,_ idiot._"

"_Oh..._" Beast Boy gave her a weak smile before flusteredly gesturing towards his handcuffs. They were a power neutralizer. Of course.

"I hope you know that you're beyond stupid, wearing that outfit."

"They're my pajamas! What's so bad about that?"

"Everything," croaked the muscular man.

"At least somebody agrees," Raven muttered under her breath.

"Are you going to get me out or not?"

Raven thought for a minute or two before responding, "Nope."

Leaving a dumbfounded Beast Boy behind, the gothic half-demoness exited the building.

**-Meanwhile In An Unknown Place-**

"Xavier! Why isn't the damn cable working?" A shrill voice screamed from a room down another level.

The man by the name of Xavier sighed. That woman was so annoying that it was ridiculous. Ignoring the upset female, he finished his current task. Soon enough, he finished typing the email and sent it to the intended recipient.

Xavier climbed up the wooden staircase, dreading the moment he came face to face with the irritating woman that greatly resembled a basset hound.

"Xavier! Get this television set working already! Or better yet, get a damn job!"

Xavier itched to get his double-barreled handgun and blow her bloody brains out. He suppressed that urge, however. This woman, Roxanne Lenore, still had an amount of usefulness in her. He would need that usefulness in the very near future.

"I'm leaving," he told her.

"You just got here fifteen minutes ago!" Roxanne exclaimed.

"I'm going to a job interview," Xavier lied.

Roxanne narrowed her eyes in disbelief. A few moments later, she sighed, "Very well. Tell me about it when you get home? I'd _love_ to hear _all_ about it."

"Of course."

Xavier exited the house, making his way towards his Harley Davidson 48 Sportster. He hopped onto the motorcycle and sped out of the driveway, heading towards the general direction of the center of Gotham City. As usual, he completely disregarded the rules of the road, driving at an insane speed and ignoring red lights.

Xavier stopped in front of a shady-looking warehouse that was in a decent location, a few good miles away from the Gotham City Police Department. It was also near the woods, so if disaster striked, you would be eligible to hide out there and hope all goes well. The inside of the building had an aura of loneliness. Large tanks without lids were filled with liquids, placed strategically around the room. It was as if it had a purpose.

Which it did.

With a wicked grin placed across his face, Xavier opened a trap door that led to a basement. Leaving it propped open, the man made his way to the other side of the room. He pushed the first contained forward, watching as the other containers followed. The room began flooding right as the dark-skinned man left without a trace...

**-Meanwhile With Aqualad And Kid Flash-**

"What thing could you possibly own is worth stealing? The coolest thing you probably have is a pair of shrinkable boxers!" Kid Flash said, highly unimpressed with Aqualad's declaration.

"Two years ago, I met this girl back in Atlantis. Her name was Arista and she was truly amazing. An excellent swimmer, too," Aqualad dreamily said.

"... Okay, so what does that have to do with anything?"

"I was getting to that," Aqualad snapped. "Anyway, she and I grew pretty close. Things were going along beau-"

"Don't you mean swimmingly?" Kid Flash interrupted.

"Can I _please_ finish? We need to get this done before curfew strikes."

"Sure, go ahead. Nothing's stopping ya."

"Okay, so Arista and I grew close. One night, she sneaked into my room and told me about how she felt. I told her I felt the same and we ended up kissing-"

"How do the merpeople with tails, _you know_, have sex?" Kid Flash asked, intrigued.

Aqualad looked like he wanted to strangle his companion.

"Right, sorry. Not important, got it."

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted once again, she gave me a pendant, a gift her mother had given her right before she died. The pendant, or talisman, as one might say, had the ability to amplify my ability to communicate with sea animals. It strengthened my relationship and affinity with the sea. It also meant a lot to me since Arista gave it to me... the night she was killed."

"Oh... That sucks."

"Yeah," Aqualad said flatly. "I want to get it back in order to strengthen my powers and to have some guilty part of me know that her gift wasn't in vain."

"When was it stolen?"

"On Sunday, the day we arrived at the school."

"Are you sure you packed it?"

"It was the very first thing I packed."

"Well, what makes you think it's in Gotham?"

"I had this tiny locator placed on the back of the pendant. According to the locator, it's in Gotham.

"We're not going to scour the whole entire city for it, are we? Even if I use my super speed, I won't even know what it looks like. Plus, there are hundreds of buildings in this single city." Kid Flash rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That won't be necessary," Aqualad stated. "It's near the edge of the city, fortunately. About five minutes away, maybe?"

"_Oh, joy._ I'm not carrying you, by the way. That would just be creepy."

**-Meanwhile With Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, And Bumblebee-**

"So, what's our game plan?" Cyborg questioned Robin.

"Can your signals track them?" Robin asked the larger boy.

"I don't have a tracker placed on any of them. They would just mesh in with everybody else if I attempted to find them without a tracker device."

"Do you have their cell phone numbers?" Bumblebee asked the other teenagers.

"Kid Flash dropped his in the toilet a couple days ago and it's broken. Aqualad doesn't have one. Speedy doesn't know where his phone is," Cyborg replied.

"I would suggest that we split up, but that wouldn't be very wise if we're unable to contact each other," Robin stated before running a hand through his hair.

"Uh, Friends Robin, Cyborg, and Bumblebee?" Starfire interjected hesitantly. "Friend Aqualad mentioned the city of Gotham, correct?"

"Star! You're a genius!" Robin exclaimed. "I know Gotham City like the back of my hand. It shouldn't be too hard to locate them if they are indeed there."

"Gotham is huge, though!" Cyborg said, uncertain.

"Trust me on this," Robin spoke with a tenacious tone, leading the three teenagers towards the road and a taxi.

**-Meanwhile With Beast Boy-**

"Do you like cheese?" Beast Boy awkwardly asked the men in the cell, wanting to scratch the back of his neck.

In response, the man who acted like a dog began scratching at Beast Boy's feet. In response to_ that_ action, Beast Boy jumped up upon instinct, landing in the skinny guy's arms. In response to _that_ action, the skinny man dropped the changeling. In response to_ that_ action, Dog Man began humping Beast Boy's leg.

Beast Boy had a strong feeling that it was going to be a _long_ night...

**-Meanwhile With Mammoth And Gizmo-**

"You nitwit!" Gizmo spat at the larger boy.

"What did I do?" Mammoth asked, confuzzled.

Before the boy genius could reply, the crackling sound of the intercom was heard and the headmistress's secretary's voice was heard. "Gizmo and Mammoth, please report to the headmistress's office at this time. I repeat, Gizmo and Mammoth, please report to the headmistress's office."

The two teenagers made their way to the other side of the campus where the headmistress's office was located.

"I see the mission didn't turn out as well as we have hoped," she stated upon their arrival.

"Obviously," Gizmo rudely sneered.

"I realize that the loss of your fellow teammate and classmate stings, but there is absolutely no reason to take that kind of tone with me, young man. This time, however, I think we've found the perfect replacement."

"That's what you said last time! And the time before that, and the time before that..." Gizmo said.

"This time is different, I assure you."

"Okay, _fine_, I'll bite. For one last time, though."

"Excellent."

The headmistress lead the two boys towards the training room, where they would find the person who wished to be on their team.

When they arrived, the room was in complete and utter darkness. It gave Gizmo the creeps, sending an unwelcome chill down his spine.

The last person who had tried to join their group went by the name of Ebony Lass, which Gizmo thought sounded pretty lame. Her costume wasn't impressive, either. However, despite those horrifying things, she had decent combat skills. Or, so they thought. She couldn't take on Robin, so therefore, she got kicked off the team.

Suddenly, the bright lights turned on, blinding the two boys for a minute or two. When they opened their eyes, a girl with pink pigtails was standing in the middle of the room, a cocky expression covering her features. A black choker wrapped around her neck, a purple pendant attached to the black material. Her feet were clad in a black and purple heeled combat boots. Striped leggings covered her pale flesh, the colors switching from black and purple. A velvety black tunic covered her abdomen, with a hint of purple highlighting the darkness. To finish off the look, a shawl-like material covered her shoulders, attached to the dress.

"I present to you, this powerful sorceress. Her sorcery skills are superior to most and her jinxes mean bad luck for her enemies." The headmistress gestured towards the teenage girl, a rare smile upon her wrinkled face.

"That's all talk. How about some action?" Gizmo crossed his arms over his chest.

Immediately, the room dimmed a little bit. An obstacle course appeared, along with several robots. With a smile playing across her lips, the pink-haired sorceress waved her hand, sending pink energy flying towards four robots. Upon impact, they exploded. She danced around more robots, showcasing gymnastic skills. After destroying three more robots, laser blasts were sent her way. The girl dodged the blasts for a couple of minutes before her pink energy pulverized the mechanical widget.

Soon enough, she made her way across the large room to where Gizmo and Mammoth were standing with the headmistress. In the process, she had battled against more robots and machines while trying to avoid lasers and things consisting of practically the same substance.

"Wow," Mammoth stupidly said.

Gizmo thought for a couple of minutes, looking skeptical. Finally, he muttered, "Welcome to the H.I.V.E."

"So, uh, what's your name?" Mammoth questioned, scratching his head.

"You can call me Jinx." She smiled coyly before bounding away.

**-Meanwhile With Raven-**

Raven couldn't believe that she was stooping this low. It was ridiculous. Here she was, _practically begging._

"Raven, no." The man at the desk slammed a book down on the desk, watching the latest costumer exit the store, empty-handed.

"Malchior, please!"

The man, Malchior, sighed. He had long hair that was white in color; an unfortunate trait he received from his father's side of the family. Malchior's eyes were an electric type of blue framed by unusually thick and long lashes. His skin was almost as pale as hers, almost leathery. He possessed a slender frame, standing at 5'4. Even though his appearance wasn't exactly the most attractive, Malchior was really sweet, intelligent, and had a love for animals. He also had a passion for reading and writing, something he had in common with the gothic empath.

"Raven, I can't. Somebody has to take care of this shop," he wearily told the pale girl.

"Hardly anybody comes here!"

"I know." Malchior winced. "If we don't start getting more customers, I'm going to have to shut this place down. That means I'll be unemployed and possibly living on the streets."

"You took drama in high school, right?" Raven asked, the complex cogs of her mind rapidly turning.

"Yeah... What does that have to do with anything, though?"

"Why don't we make a little deal?"

"Raven, I can already tell that this a bad idea. So, no," Malchior sighed.

"I realize that you don't want to abandon your store, even if it means helping out a friend. Therefore, I came up with an idea. You can go ahead and run the errand for me while I stay here and keep watch of your store. If you do this for me, I promise you that I'll do my best to have more costumers come to this store."

"How do you plan on doing that, exactly?"

"_I... uh_, have connections?"

"Fine, but you better help me out, Raven. Anyway, how are you planning on making me look ten to twenty years older?"

"You have props in the backroom of the store, right?" Raven asked the older boy.

"Yeah..."

Raven walked towards the back of the store and entered the backroom. Stacks of books were in the room, coated with thick layers of dust. The Azarathian searched the room for the props and makeup. Fortunately, she managed to find them in a medium sized cardboard box.

Raven spent about twenty minutes working on Malchior, attempting to make him look older and more mature. He didn't need a wig, seeing how his hair was already in a white state. Rather, she focused on making it look shorter by pinning down the white locks with bobby pins. After finding a fake mustache that seemed to suit Malchior's facial structure and hair color, Raven fixated the fake facial hair onto his upper lip by using spirit gum, an adhesive often used in theater. Considering how her skills with things relating to this was relatively small, Raven was glad that Malchior looked older than his actual age of twenty-four.

"How am I going to convince them, exactly?"

"Try to be diplomatic," Raven said, not sounding entirely sure about the plan.

"What if they ask for money?" Malchior asked.

"Give them a lecture about how Americans are starting to become greedy money-grabbers?"

_Yeah, Raven was quickly becoming unsure about this plan..._

**-Meanwhile With Speedy-**

Ever so slowly, Speedy's eyes fluttered open. His head was throbbing and his whole body was stiff. Slowly, he regained control of his senses. The room smelled like pine saw mixed with moss and other earthly things. He was sitting down uncomfortably on what felt like metal, his hands tied behind his back and, ultimately, the chair. A blast of coolness lashed out at his skin, making him shiver as he was chilled to the bone. The next thing the ginger noticed was that water was flowing everywhere and was steadily rising. As of right now, the water was flowing halfway up his calves.

Panicking, Speedy tried undoing the complicated knots that trapped him. The attempt proved to be futile since his hands were numb, the coarse rope digging into his flesh. Growing a little more worried, Speedy tried shifting his position in the chair. Once that goal was achieved, Speedy began trying to rock the chair side to side, hoping that it would get knocked over. If that was accomplished, there was a possibility that the knots would be loosened. Of course, there was the list of things that could go wrong, such as drowning. But, then again, Speedy had always been one to take risks.

Pretty soon, the chair fell over, causing the expert marksman to topple over with it, grunting. Water greedily and viciously attacked him, filling his lungs with a large quantity of water. Using a large portion of his strength, Speedy painfully lifted his head up above the rising surface.

The shock of the icy cold water caused Speedy to regain a very small amount of feeling in his hands. Using that advantage, he began untangling his lithe fingers from the thick rope. It would have helped if the metallic chair wasn't trying to sink, though. Having your head suddenly plummet into water's cruel grasp made things _a lot_ harder.

Finally, Speedy managed to undo the complex knot work. It would have made a boy scout (_ahem_, Superman) proud. However, it ticked Speedy off quite a bit.

Speedy frantically searched the room for some type of exit. If he didn't get out pronto, he would drown, therefore dying. Neither one appealed to him very much. Having found no exit underneath the water's surface, Speedy turned his sights to above the liquid. Directly above him was a trapdoor that was propped open. Unfortunately, that was the source of where the water was gushing out. Big no-no. Growing desperate, Speedy began swimming around the room like a crazed lunatic. Unfortunately, he hit his head. He was glad he did, though.

A few inches above the place he rammed his head into was the ventilation system. Seeing how this was his only chance at escape, and how he needed to do it quickly before the water level reached the height of the vent, Speedy reached behind his ear. In his hand was an object similar to a bobby-pin, but designed like a screwdriver, with the pronounced tip. This design allowed him to hide it without the notice of his enemies and it proved to be a useful widget.

Hurriedly, Speedy began rotating the blade in the screw, twisting it until it came off. He repeated that action with the other three screws before ripping the vent off its hinges. Quickly, he put the object in its normal place before pulling himself up into the cramped space.

Speedy began praying that the end of the ventilation system wasn't a dead-end. If it was, he would be royally screwed. He began making his way through the vent. After taking two turns, water began pooling into the vent. Speedy cursed and increased his crawling speed, which was pretty arduous.

Soon enough, Speedy reached a fork in the vent. He could go left or right. One would presumably lead him to his doom, while the other supposedly led to freedom. Of course, both could lead him to his death. Speedy was always a positive thinker, though.

With an aching hope, Speedy took a left. He continued down the path and was relieved to not see a solid wall. He'd chosen a good way. A thankful Speedy, who had silent tears sliding down his cheeks, began loosening the screws on the vent. He was highly aware of the water level rising up to his waist, but his hands were shaking tremendously. Almost dying really put your life in perspective.

He had gotten this far. Why quit? It would be foolish to tempt fate even further, after all. With that thought crossing his mind, a determined look crossed Speedy's face. His hands stopped trembling and he finished up his task. With the screws pulled out of their sockets, Speedy pushed the vent forward with all the strength he could muster from the sapping energy he possessed.

The vent fell forward and Speedy crawled forward, landing in a not-so-graceful manner on the hardened earth. Thanking the heavens, Speedy slipped into unconsciousness, leaping over the boundary of dreams...

**-Meanwhile With Kid Flash And Aqualad-**

Kid Flash ducked, avoiding a bullet that was aimed for the space between his eyes. Noticing that Aqualad needed some serious help, Kid Flash ran around the room, snatching up the expensive and flashy looking guns from the petty thugs. Now, the odds were a little more even.

Aqualad saw a pipe nearby and after thinking for a moment, water began gushing out, slamming forcefully into the chests of three goons. Yep, the scale was definitely tipping in their favor.

Within a few minutes, Aqualad and Kid Flash finished fighting. The last man had been taken by a punch (a falcon punch, according to Kid Flash) from Kid Flash.

"So, is it here?" Kid Flash asked, cracking his knuckles.

Aqualad sighed, "Unfortunately, it's not."

"Are you serious? We already fought two warehouses full of bad guys!"

"Why would I lie about this?" Aqualad wearily said. All he wanted right now was to sink into a hot tub and forget about all his worries. He had a strong suspicion that he was losing hair and that it was turning gray.

"I have a feeling that Batman is taking a night off..." Kid Flash joked.

"I don't think his patrol has started yet. I mean, the sun has barely set."

The two teenagers walked out of the warehouse, heading towards another one that was closer to the covering of the woods. When they were closer to the building, they were absolutely stunned.

There, on the ground before them, was an unconscious Speedy looking a little worse for wear. Water surrounded him, mixed with his very own blood. Even though he had crossed the brink of unconsciousness, his body was shaking, as if he was freezing. Kid Flash wouldn't be surprised if he was.

Shocking the speedster even more, Aqualad's haunted whisper carried over to him by the wind. _"The locator is on him."_

**-Meanwhile With Beast Boy-**

"I am dearly sorry to inform you that I do not do drugs, therefore I do not own any!" Beast Boy shrieked at the muscular man who owned the rubber ducky.

"Then I guess I'm going to have to kick your ass," he responded, intimidatingly cracking his knuckles.

"Please don't hurt me! We can be best friends, you know!"

"I'm not interested," the angry man snarled, inching closer towards the green boy.

"Not the face! Please don't hurt the face!" Beast Boy pleaded, giving the larger male his best puppy dog impression. The man sent a spray of spittle at Beast Boy in response.

_"Enough,"_ barked a police officer, carrying a large set of keys.

With the police officer was a short man with a spiffy mustache.

The police officer directed his words to Beast Boy. "This man claims to be your father. Is that true?"

Beast Boy ended up getting a brain fart. He didn't personally know anybody with a mustache, so obviously this man was a stranger that was apparently mistaken. After some really quick (and ninja) thinking, however, Beast Boy decided to go along with it in case it got him out of this miserable place. He nodded.

The stranger diplomatically talked with the police officer, giving him several reasons on why Beast Boy shouldn't be locked up in a prison. Beast Boy nodded at the appropriate times, looking like a drunk bobble-head.

In the end, the handcuffs were removed and Beast Boy was a free man... _er,_ teenager. Once they were standing outside the jail, Beast Boy got down on his knees, profusely thanking the stranger.

"Okay, you can quit it," the man said, sounding younger than he had within the prison walls.

"Who are you?" Beast Boy asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Just follow me. Somebody wants to see you."

Beast Boy didn't know why, but he felt compelled to follow the guy. They walked for five minutes in absolute silence. The silence made Beast Boy uncomfortable, but he didn't say anything in case the man decided to suddenly turn on him and murder him.

They stopped in front of a small bookstore. Upon entering, a little bell chimed, bringing life into the gloomy store. Beast Boy's jaw dropped when he saw thousands of books crammed on the many shelves. Anybody who thought it was a brilliant idea to read the crisp pages of each book was crazy. Deserved a round of applause, too.

Beast Boy was surprised to see Raven behind the counter, even if she looked bored and slightly murderous. With a grin spreading across his face, he rushed forward and gave her a tight hug, a hug that could possibly give Starfire a run for her money.

"Beast Boy, if you don't let go of me this instant, I swear I'll send you to another dimension," Raven told him, an irritated tone in her typical monotone voice. How typical.

Fearing for his well-being, Beast Boy immediately let go of the empath. He chuckled awkwardly for a couple of moments. Afterwards, a cheeky smile appeared, highlighting his features. "I knew you would get me out!"

"Technically, I didn't," Raven replied, doing her best to still look annoyed.

"Yeah, I've wanted to ask you about that... Who is this guy?" He jutted his chin towards Malchior.

"That's Malchior; he works here."

"Why did he come and rescue me, though?"

"I asked him to," responded Raven.

"How did he grow such a snazzy mustache?"

"It's fake,_ idiot,_" Raven informed him, crushing the green lad.

"Don't forget about our little deal, Raven!" Malchior called as Raven led Beast Boy towards the door.

"I didn't plan on it. Thank you, by the way." With that, Raven stepped outside.

Outside, Raven whipped out Robin's phone and contacted Cyborg. Within a few seconds, Cyborg's face appeared accompanied by Robin's.

"I got him out," Raven simply told them. Beast Boy shouted, as if to prove a point.

"That's great," Cyborg genuinely said, looking relieved. "It's almost nine and we really need to concentrate on finding Speedy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad. We'll see you at the academy?"

"What's your current location?" Raven asked, disregarding how Cyborg practically dismissed them.

"Raven," Robin sighed, "just go back to the academy. This situation is being handled accordingly."

"Well, even if I had a desire to go back to the school, I wouldn't even know where the launching pods are at. Therefore, I believe you should just tell me where you're at."

"The launching pods are located in the garage next door to the ice skating rink. Now, goodbye."

"Robin! I might be able to help!"

"You might also ruin everything."

"If one of them is injured, I'll be able to heal them."

"If one of them is injured, I can easily call an ambulance."

"If one of them is injured, I could help them with no questions asked."

"If one of them is injured, I have contacts who wouldn't ask any questions."

"If some infamous villain shows up, I could be able to assist you."

"I'm pretty sure we would be able to handle it."

"Can you two stop arguing? It's making my head spin," Beast Boy said, interrupting their little battle.

However, they ignored him.

"Why don't you want me to go? Afraid that there's a possibility that I'll accomplish more than you?"

"Of course not. I just wouldn't want you to get hurt in case trouble does arise."

"I can handle myself, Bird Brain."

"So can we."

"You know, arguing like this is pointless. It's wasting precious time."

"I realize that, which is why you should just go back to the academy."

"Uh, guys?" Cyborg and Beast Boy simultaneously asked, wishing the two birds would stop arguing.

"You're abnormally stubborn."

"I can say the same about you."

Suddenly, Bumblebee appeared on the phone screen, looking irked. "I realize that there may be some sexual tension that y'all need to resolve, but some of us want to get some work done, believe it or not!"

That shut them up.

"Thank you! Now, Raven, feel free to join us. I don't care what Robin has to say. We're currently passing by some warehouses."

"Did you even check the warehouses?"

"Robin's convinced that they're out hitting the streets by the nightclubs," Bumblebee replied.

"Well, something tells me that they didn't go to Gotham for extreme fun. Even if they act like it, they're not idiots. Something could have happened and they could be by the warehouses," Raven said slowly, processing her thoughts.

"You know what, you have a point." Bumblebee raised both her eyebrows, thinking about Raven's comment.

"Is it possible for you to give me an exact location?" Raven asked.

"Uh, not really."

Sighing, Raven told her that she would transport herself and Beast Boy to the warehouses. The two of them landed on the asphalt near the warehouses, Beast Boy yelped upon impact. He really didn't like magical or advanced travel whatsoever.

Raven looked around the area, trying to find Starfire, Robin, Bumblebee, and Cyborg. Beast Boy thought it would be helpful if he started yelling as if to gain their attention. Immediately, Raven covered his big mouth with her powers, stifling his loud noises. He glared at her. She didn't care.

"Shut up! There might be criminals in the warehouses. They're most likely going to armed, which could be a slight problem. So, shut up before you draw unwanted attention to us!" Raven hissed, thinking rationally.

In a few minutes, the other members of Class Titan arrived, looking unharmed, Raven was glad to see. Robin was in the front of the group, while the other three teenagers were trailing behind him.

"I highly doubt that they're here," Robin told her, dubiously.

"Would it really hurt to check?" Raven shot back.

"Yes, it would."

"Guys, shut up. Let's not waste time in searching. Fighting with each other won't gain anything," Cyborg told the group.

"Agreed," Starfire chimed cheerfully.

The group speed walked around the area, scoping out the area for their friends. Raven pointedly made a remark to Robin when they found a warehouse full of unconscious bad guys. He had playfully stuck his tongue out at her and told her that Batman probably made his rounds. She snorted in response.

They were inching closer to the covering of the woods and weren't disappointed when they heard Aqualad's familiar voice. When they heard him shout, though, they started running towards the warehouse, fearing the events that were about to transpire.

"I should have known!" Aqualad shouted, wildly gesturing to Speedy.

"Maybe this is just some... hoax," Kid Flash uncertainly told the Atlantean.

"Everything points to him, damn it!" Aqualad yelled, wanting to rip his hair out.

After those words were uttered, Cyborg, Robin, Raven, Bumblebee, Beast Boy, and Starfire showed up, looking worried. Kid Flash and Aqualad looked surprised to see them on the scene, but their stunned looks didn't match theirs when they saw Speedy's unconscious body.

Instantly, Raven crouched down, her hand hovering over Speedy's body. Before she healed him, she saw how his raw wrists were bleeding, blood trickling down his arms and onto the pavement. His skin was paler than usual and he seemed to be freezing to death, almost as if he were suffering from hypothermia. Along with those obvious things, his leg appeared to be bent in an awkward angle. She presumed that it was broken. Hurriedly, she closed her eyes and used her healing powers. Soon enough, the pain that was inflicted upon him mended and he was left sleeping peacefully. Raven guessed that he would wake up soon.

"What happened?" Robin asked both Aqualad and Kid Flash.

"We found him here, bloody and unconscious," Kid Flash replied, noticing how Aqualad's posture was unusually rigid.

"Why are you in Gotham in the first place?" Robin questioned, knowing that this city was off limits.

This time Aqualad spoke, "A heirloom of mine was stolen. The tracker I had placed on it pinpointed this area. Oh, and guess what? According to the tracker signal, Speedy has it. Talk about a breach of trust."

"This could be some huge mistake, man," Cyborg told the Atlantean.

"It could also be a way to indicate his true colors." Aqualad crossed his arms over his chest.

Cyborg opened his mouth to speak but shut it when he saw Speedy starting to stir. He woke up after a couple of minutes, looking disgruntled.

Robin gave him a few minutes to regain his bearings before he asked, "What happened, Speedy?"

Speedy shook his head before replying, "I was at the mall with Starfire and Bumblebee. I got fed up with their crazed shopping antics so I went to the bathroom. All of a sudden, this dark-skinned man came from behind me and knocked me out. I woke up in that warehouse, tied to a chair. The place was flooding quickly, and it took every ounce of my will to get out of there."

Starfire gasped, "Friend Speedy, are you of the okay?"

Speedy tried to chuckle, but quickly stopped when he felt the pressure in his lungs. Apparently, he had a greater water intake than he had originally thought. He definitely didn't plan to go swimming anytime soon.

"Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way," Aqualad cut in, "can you give it back to me, Speedy?"

"What?" Speedy asked, unaware of what he was talking about.

"The thing you stole from me," Aqualad said with an exasperated tone in his voice.

"I didn't steal anything?"

"There was a locator device placed on it. The device is telling me that it's on you!"

Speedy wrinkled his nose and began searching himself for the mentioned locator device. A couple minutes passed and he found a red blinking device attached onto his neck. He carefully ripped it off his flesh and showed it to the teenagers surrounding him.

"So, yeah, I think it's safe to say that this was planted on me to frame me," Speedy flatly said, directing his words specifically to Aqualad.

"Where could it possibly be, then?" Aqualad asked, clearly frustrated.

Speedy said, "I don't know, but I'd be more than happy to help you out."

"Uh, I hate to interrupt," Cyborg cut in, "but we really have to go. Our only method of transportation to the academy leaves in half an hour."

"Can you teleport us there?" Bumblebee asked Raven.

"I'm not sure," Raven replied. "Healing usually takes up a lot of my energy and I had to heal twice tonight."

"We better hurry up and find a taxi, then," Robin stated.

The nine teenagers quickly left the warehouse area, hurrying towards a more civilized location. Ten minutes later, they found a taxi. Unfortunately, it was small and they had to squish in the vehicle in order to fit in. Robin was sitting shotgun, giving the taxi driver directions to their location. In the back, Raven sat smushed against the window and door, sitting next to Cyborg. Starfire was sitting on top of Cyborg and Kid Flash was sitting on Cyborg's other side. Beside Kid Flash was Speedy, who had Bumblebee sitting on him. Aqualad sat on the floor of the vehicle, on everybody's feet. Beast Boy was sprawled across everybody, except Raven, and had his butt in Speedy's face. Thankfully, Robin bribed the driver with an extra wad of cash if he managed to get them into Jump City within fifteen minutes.

They stopped in front of the ice skating rink and everybody piled out. The teenagers stretched their limbs for a few minutes before rushing towards the garage. According to Cyborg, they had three minutes to get into a launching pod before it was due to leave. They burst into the garage and jumped into a pod. Cyborg quickly entered in the option of returning to the academy while everybody either held on tightly to a handlebar or buckled in.

As the launching pod pulled away from the empty garage, the members of Class Titan let out a sigh of relief. They were so close to being left behind. The aftermath of that would have not been pleasant, frankly.

The group arrived at the transportation deck, all feeling a little dizzy from the trip. Quietly, they made their way to their tower. Everybody except Robin and Raven made their way to their room.

Raven went inside the kitchen to make a cup of a tea while Robin turned on a computer. Even though Raven was curious about what Robin was searching on the Internet, she didn't intrude on his privacy. Instead, she sat on the couch and watched a news channel on the television as she sipped her herbal tea.

The news reporter was telling a story about the super-powered teenagers found in Jump City. A shaky video of the teenagers fighting was on a loop. The video seemed to focus on Robin, with the news anchor practically gushing about how quadruple somersaults are nearly impossible to perform, so it was extraordinary that he managed it from a standing position. Raven rolled her eyes.

She closed her eyes and began to clear her mind with her usual meditation routine. One thing that was different, however, was that she fell asleep on the sofa.

Robin glanced over his shoulder to see what she was doing and was astonished to find her asleep. She looked so serene. A genuine smile crossed his face and he watched her for a few minutes. He thought that she truly looked like an angel. Quietly, he stood up and made his way towards her. After turning off the television, he gently lifted her up and carried her body up the stairs bridal-style.

Silently, he opened the door to her bedroom and carried her over to the bed. He carefully tucked her in the sheets, not wanting to awaken her. He watched her for a few more minutes before placing a delicate kiss on her forehead. Then, with one last look, the bird exited the room...

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

Now, I'm pretty sure that you guys remember the riddles that were in this one chapter. Well, here are the answers that are better late than never:

1. I pass before the sun, yet make no shadow. What am I?  
>Answer: Wind.<p>

2. The man who makes it doesn't need it, the man who buys it doesn't use it, and the man he gives it to doesn't know he's using it. What is it?  
>Answer: Coffin.<p>

3. There is a room with two identical doors. One leads to happiness and good luck, and the other leads to terror and despair. There are two identical robots patrolling back and forth. You can ask one robot one question to find out which door to take. One robot will lie to you, and one will tell the truth. You cannot tell the difference between them. What question do you ask? Justify your answer.

Answer: If I asked you which door was safe, what would the other robot say?

Explanation: The lying robot would lie and point to the bad door. The good robot would tell the truth and point to the bad door. Either way, take the door they don't point to.

4. A woman shoots her husband, holds him under water for five minutes, and hangs him. When she's done, her husband tells her, "Good Job." How is this possible?  
>Answer: She's a photographer. She shoots a picture of her husband, holds it under water to develop it, and hangs it up to dry.<p>

5. What runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps?  
>Answer: River.<p>

If you got any of those right, you totally deserve a shiny gold star.

**Questions To Think About:**

Will the guys in the prison do anything to Beast Boy in the future?  
>Who's Xavier?<br>What's the email about?  
>Why does Xavier need Roxanne Lenore around?<br>Why did Xavier try to kill Speedy?  
>How did Arista die?<br>Will Aqualad find the talisman?  
>How will Jinx do in Gizmo's and Mammoth's team?<br>How is Raven planning on helping out Malchior?  
>Will Malchior have a larger role in this story?<br>Will anybody find the flooded warehouse?  
>Is Batman slacking off?<br>Will anybody question Bumblebee's sexual tension comment?  
>Is Speedy's and Aqualad's trust destroyed?<br>Who's behind the theft and planning?  
>What's the current status of Raven's and Robin's relationship?<p>

Thanks for reading!


	9. Developing Relationships

The first thing Raven noticed when she woke up was the strong musky scent that filled her nostrils. The smell was a wonderful combination of the crisp scent after a downpour in a thick forest and the fresh scent that always seemed to be hovering around near the ocean. It was absolutely intoxicating.

Raven's eyes fluttered open and she studied her room. One of her observations included seeing that she was still wearing Robin's jacket. A memory of his woodsy aftershave with a hint of perspiration enveloped her senses. She sighed, dreading the moment she would have to return it.

With a great yawn, Raven stood up and practiced the stretches they had been working on in Hand to Hand Combat. Once that was finished, the empath hopped into the shower and scrubbed her body clean with a body wash. She stood still for awhile, letting the warm water pour down her back. While the water was beating down on her naked flesh, she tried clearing her mind of any thoughts about Robin. It seemed like he had an extraordinary ability of crawling underneath her skin and she just couldn't shake him off.

Raven entered the living room ten minutes later, carrying Robin's jacket. She found him in the kitchen. He was quietly whistling as he prepared his usual cup of coffee. When she entered, he craned his neck to look around and he smiled when he saw that it was her. Betraying no emotion whatsoever, Raven handed him his jacket.

A slight frown crossed his face. "What's this?"

"Your jacket," Raven said. "I'm returning it to you."

"Why?"

"Because it's yours."

"Keep it."

"No," Raven said.

"I can afford to buy more jackets, Raven. Besides, I want you to have it," Robin adamantly stated.

"Robin!" Raven exasperatedly said.

"Keep it."

This was not the way Raven envisioned this conversation with Robin. She had expected him to give her a cocky smirk and hint at some sexual innuendo. It certainly fit his character.

Noticing signs of resignation on her face, Robin asked, "So, do you have plans today?"

"Aside from going to the meeting with my mentor after lunch, no."

"Would you like to accompany me to Jump City this evening?" Robin asked, the barest hint of hopefulness in his voice.

"Careful, Boy Blunder. You wouldn't want to make it sound like a date," Raven replied, pouring steaming herbal tea from a kettle into a cup.

"Yeah..." Robin mumbled, watching her leave the large kitchen. When she was out of sight, Robin quickly drained the coffee mug of coffee, ignoring the scalding heat that danced across his tongue.

**-Two Hours Later-**

"They hate me," Bumblebee stated, a trembling edge in her voice.

Every person in Class Titan was currently in the common room, occupying themselves with something. Bumblebee had watched in disappointed horror as the news broadcaster showed a video of the fight they had been involved with in Jump City.

"Although this hasn't been confirmed, one can assume that these teenagers attend the academy that was recently opened up for young superheroes. However, it would appear that this school isn't all it's cracked up to be. The criminals Mammoth, Gizmo, and an unknown person were outnumbered and it appears that these teenagers with super powers couldn't handle the issue. Are these teenagers a joke? Is the academy run by the Justice League a joke? Only time will tell," the reporter said. The news broadcaster went into details, dissing both Beast Boy and Bumblebee without mercy.

"Hey, at least you're not alone," Beast Boy grumpily told Bumblebee.

"Yeah, that makes me feel _so_ much better," Bumblebee sarcastically told Beast Boy.

"Wait, when did you guys get caught up in a fight, anyway?" Kid Flash asked.

"When you guys were seeking the thrilling side of life," Cyborg answered.

"I bet I could have taken them on alone," Kid Flash pompously stated, grinning.

"I strongly doubt that!" Beast Boy yelled.

"You couldn't even handle taking care of a kid," Speedy said, an amused glint in his eye.

Beast Boy frowned before childishly sticking his tongue out at the gingers. Maybe that one phrase was true. Maybe gingers really didn't have souls.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

**-Meanwhile With Batman On The Watchtower-**

Batman finished typing up his report. Lately, Superman had been getting on his case about not filing criminal reports. Therefore, Batman started making a point about making the reports while tampering with Superman's. The adjusted reports contained hints of Bruce Wayne's humor. Once Clark discovered that the reports were messed with, Bruce had a strong feeling that he would finally be able to placidly work in the Batcave. One could only hope.

Batman swiftly stood up and quickly made his way to the living compartments. He stopped in front of a particular room and punched in the code that would unlock the door. The door slid open and the infamous vigilante entered, retreating into the shadows of the small room. He could easily hear the running water in the adjourning bathroom. Soon enough, the water shut off and the person that was on his mind entered the small bedroom, hair obviously damp, adding to the allure of the Amazonian.

As soon as she had finished putting her shoes on, Batman stepped out of the shadows. With a tone a little less gruff than his signature Batman voice, but still identifiable, Batman said, "Diana."

Diana jumped, surprised. "Br-Batman. It amazes me how you're still able to manage that and surprise me."

"Alfred told me that you wished to speak to me last night," he said.

"That is true," Diana vaguely said, her mind wrapping around the parts of his conversation with Catwoman that she had overheard.

"About what?" Batman urged, his patience wearing thin.

"I just wanted to see you," she simply stated.

"Missed my irresistible dark charm, eh?" Batman said, getting out of character for a few moments.

"Of course," Wonder Woman dryly replied. "It's always the highlight of my day."

Batman removed his gauntlets, delicately placing them on Diana's desk. After taking off the gauntlets, he slowly took off his cowl, revealing his handsome face. He quietly made his way towards the Amazonian princess and wrapped his arms around her waist. She encircled her arms around him and placed her head on his chest. The two superheroes thought for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company and the comfortable silence.

Surprising him, Diana was the first one to break away from his hug. She stared into his eyes and gently stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Why was Catwoman there, Bruce?"

"Of course you would know about that," he sighed. "She seems to believe that Two-Face is plotting something. Something big. Selina also thinks that Two-Face stole one of her possessions."

"What do you think?"

"Two-Face doesn't usually lash out directly, that much I can tell you. There's a possibility that he ordered one of his men to sweep her apartment. Then, there's the fact that Selina didn't even see Two-Face around. I have a feeling that this is one of her little ruses in trying to start a relationship with me by having me spend more time with her on this case," Batman admitted honestly.

"If that's actually true, would she succeed?" Diana whispered.

"My feelings for Selina have long disappeared."

Bruce stepped away from Diana and went over to the desk to retrieve the parts of his costume that he had discarded there. After they were properly in place, he made his way towards the door.

"I have a board meeting at one. I'd best get a few hours of sleep. After all, it would hardly do to miss the board meeting."

"I thought you never slept," Wonder Woman joked.

With the barest hints of a smile and a final glance at her, Batman swiftly exited the room.

**-Meanwhile With Class Titan-**

"I'll get it!" Beast Boy shouted, heading for the door.

The teenager pulled open the door to reveal the petite form of Hawkgirl. Behind the Thanagarian was Green Lantern. Both of them appeared to be mad. Ah, lovely.

Green Lantern was the one who spoke. "Is it alright if we, uh, come in?"

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Beast Boy nodded and stepped aside. When the two Justice League members were inside the tower, Beast Boy shut the door and sat down on the couch next to Bumblebee and Cyborg.

Attempting to sound calm, Hawkgirl said, "Did any of you actually think to read the rules about transportation?"

"I did," Robin answered. "Twice."

"Then you should know that if a situation arises, you are to inform the Justice League."

"They were going to be a problem. Our goal was to subdue them," Robin responded, narrowing his eyes. Of course, it had no effect since he wore a mask.

"If the situation is immediate, you are still supposed to inform the Justice League before engaging in physical combat," Hawkgirl hotly shot at the boy.

"I am _so_ sincerely sorry," Robin sarcastically told the Thanagarian. It was as if he was challenging her.

Hawkgirl's gaze intensified, looking all the more intimidating with her mask. "Aside from the disobeying the rules, you still didn't manage to subdue the three villains. Care to explain why?"

Green Lantern tried to place his hand on her shoulder to calm her down but she threateningly raised her mace at him, causing him to take a few steps back.

"Maybe our intention was to hold back and have the media speculate about whether or not this academy is doing a good thing. Then, when the time is right, show them that they couldn't be more wrong. Give them more to talk about," Robin said with a clipped tone.

"Why not give them something positive to say? You outnumbered those crooks and you let them escape! That looks awfully bad, I hope you realize. If another time comes, and you manage to take care of the situation beautifully, there's a high possibility that they'll think it's a hoax."

"Sorry to disappoint," Robin said with a dismissive edge in his voice.

Hawkgirl huffed and made her way to the exit. "Consider this a warning. The next time we don't receive an alert, you lot are going to receive a week's worth of detention."

The Thanagarian angrily left the building. Green Lantern sent the group of teenagers an apologetic smile before following her. His goal was to now calm her before she went on a rampage.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Beast Boy asked Robin, slack-jaw.

In response, Robin stood up and went up the stairs, presumably to his room.

"You know, I blame this on Raven's and Robin's sexual tension issue," Bumblebee said with a straight face.

"_Wait, WHAT?"_ Speedy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad asked simultaneously.

Unamused, Raven slammed her book shut and retreated upstairs to her room.

**-Awhile After Lunch-**

"You're not trying."

"Yes, I am," Raven gritted out.

Raven was currently with her mentor, working on improving her powers. Even if it sounded impossible, Raven started to dislike Zatanna even more. As of right now, they were practicing magic. Zatanna would utter the incantations for her spells and expected Raven to block the effects of the magic. What made it exceedingly difficult was the fact that Zatanna hardly seemed to breathing since spells were overlapping each other because her incredibly fast speaking pace.

"Let's say you have to face the villain who is a magician. Do you think they're going to give you a break just because you're mentally tiring? No. Of course not," Zatanna said.

"What is your problem?" Raven yelled, completely ignoring how a chair slammed into the wall, breaking into several pieces.

"I'm trying to help you master your powers and yelling at me isn't going to help."

"That's not what I meant. Before I even attended this school, you took a great disliking to me."

"My father died because of creatures of Hell. Seeing as how demons are servants of Hell, I blame them and inevitably, you," Zatanna spat out the confession.

"Do you think I'm proud of who my father is? Of course not!"

"That holds no meaning to me. Your father's bloodline was involved with my father's death."

Raven turned on her heels, hurrying towards the only exit within the large room.

"Where do you think you're going? This mentoring session isn't over!" Zatanna shouted bitterly.

"I'm dismissing myself," Raven sent an obviously fake sickly-sweet smile in Zatanna's general direction before slamming the door shut behind her.

**-Meanwhile With Kid Flash-**

"I didn't think you were one for sentimentality."

Kid Flash quickly crossed the room. The room was beautiful, albeit small. It was a place in this school where students could get away from reality for a few moments of pure bliss. The room was similar to a simulation room. However, instead of robots coming after you, it showed the excessive beauty that could be found on Earth. People just hardly seemed to notice it. Here, in space, it was absolutely breathtaking. With considerable grace, Kid Flash sat down on the ground next to Jesse Quick.

"I'm usually not," Jesse admitted. "There's just so much arguing in Class Tenderfoot. It's enough to drive a girl insane, I can tell you that."

"Well, we certainly wouldn't want that to happen, would we?" Kid Flash smiled cheekily at the blonde.

Rolling her eyes, Jesse pushed him. He pushed back and it continued on for a few minutes. Like children, they burst out into a fit of laughter.

Once her laugh had finally subsided, Jesse told him, "You act like a little kid."

"Hey! You started it!"

"I didn't say anything about me acting like a kid. I already know that I do on various occasions."

"So, I have a question," Kid Flash slowly said.

"And what may that be?"

"Will you do the honor of accompanying me to Central City and unleashing our inner goofiness to the world?"

Jesse laughed. "I would love to."

**-Meanwhile With Cyborg-**

"Do you need some help with that?"

Cyborg was currently roaming around the halls, waiting for the time to come when he was supposed to be meet with his mentor, Atom. In this one particular hallway, he noticed the woman who had been in Martian Manhunter's class, Sarah Simms, trying to push this cart that looked pretty heavy. Naturally, he offered her some assistance.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind some help," she replied. When he took the heavy cart from her, she flashed him a smile of gratitude.

"So, what's in here, exactly?" Cyborg asked, referring to the cart that was covered with a black drape.

"Some complicated technology parts. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't hold any of your interest."

"Actually, I would love to hear about it. I've been intrigued with technology ever since... well..." Cyborg broke off, reliving his first moments as a freak of nature. He cringed.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. After all, we don't even know each other. My name is Sarah, by the way. I thought I'd introduce myself personally." She smiled.

"Cyborg," he told her, giving her a faint smile.

"Anyway, I'm free tomorrow. If you want, I'll explain all this stuff to you."

"I would be delighted."

In a few minutes they stopped in front of a room. Cyborg followed her inside and learned that this was her office. He placed the large cart in the area where she had instructed him to put it.

Sarah went over to her desk and scribbled something down a scrap of paper. She handed him the piece of paper and he realized that it was her cell phone number.

"Call me tomorrow. I'll bring you up here and we can dorkily discuss technology," she said.

"Dorkily?"

"Well, maybe I was a little too harsh. At least it's not Dungeons and Dragons."

This resulted in a laugh from Cyborg. He watched as she lifted up a stack of papers. She walked around him and accidentally tripped from the leg of a chair that was nearby. Sarah fell and the papers became scattered all over of the floor.

Upon instinct, Cyborg dropped down and began helping her pick up the papers. They reached for the same paper and their hands brush. According to Cyborg, it felt as if an electrical current ran through his veins. The two of them looked up, gazing into each other's eyes. Slowly, a smile spread across their faces. This was the start of a new friendship.

**-Meanwhile With Beast Boy-**

Beast Boy skipped around the accessible parts of the school. He was awfully bored. His mentor had bailed on him and postponed their mentoring session for next week. Beast Boy supposed that he should be glad since he would have less work to do, but he had nothing to do today. There were the homework assignments that he should probably get finished and the heavy textbooks that he should probably get around to reading, but where would the fun be in that? Plus, playing video games seemed to have no special allure to him when he was all by himself. Therefore, he pranced around the academy, trying to look like he was cool and had something to do. It failed epically in all its epically failing proportions.

In this one hallway, he saw this one girl walking away in the opposite direction. Seeing a chance to make friends, Beast Boy quickly bounded up to her.

The girl was extraordinarily skinny. Her hair was blonde and it cascaded gracefully past her shoulders. The skin color she possessed was pale, but not necessarily unhealthy. Her eyes were a blue like the ocean. Her costume she wore consisted of a long-sleeved black turtleneck with a T logo in the center of it, yellow shorts with a rough belt, dark tennis shoes, and light brown gloves. Beast Boy thought she looked extraordinarily ordinary, but that seemed to add to her appeal.

"Hey! Do you think mopeds are nifty?" Beast Boy asked.

"My friend's five year old brother has one," she replied dismissively, not answering his question.

Beast Boy's jaw dropped. Kids nowadays were so spoiled. It was so unfair! He watched the blonde girl exit the corridor, causing him to make up his mind. He would pursue the chase.

**-Meanwhile With Raven-**

When Raven entered the Class Titan tower, she looked mad as hell. Speedy, who was flipping through channels on the television, flinched when he met her gaze.

"What's wrong with you?" Speedy questioned, deciding to be brave.

"I would prefer not to talk about it," she replied, taking the steps of the stairs two at a time.

Instead of locking herself away in her room as she planned, Raven found herself standing in front of a certain someone's room. Hesitantly, she knocked three times.

Robin opened the door, preparing himself to tell whoever it was to scram. When he realized that it was Raven, he instantly stowed away those kind of thoughts.

Before Robin could say something, Raven surprised him by saying only four words.

"I changed my mind."

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

In case anybody was wondering, I do not have anything against gingers in regards to that one comment in this chapter. My cousin is a ginger and she's really cool. Then, there's this really sweet ginger I'm fortunate to know and I almost dated him. I kind of regret not going out with him. Anyhoo, I have nothing against gingers whatsoever. Also, I really wanted to post another chapter before I had to go back to school, so therefore I decided to write another chapter. This chapter is going to correspond with the following chapters, particularly with Raven and Robin. Anyway, I have a plot developing in my head that I have a feeling you guys will like. Expect to see it in the next chapter.

**Questions To Think About:**  
>Will the jacket ever come up in a conversation with the other members of Class Titan?<br>Do people really hate the people in Class Titan?  
>Will Superman discover the tampered reports?<br>What is Catwoman's goal?  
>Where do Wonder Woman and Batman stand?<br>What was up with Robin when he was arguing with Hawkgirl?  
>Will Zatanna's and Raven's relationship improve?<br>Why was Raven so edgy during her mentoring session?  
>Will Kid Flash and Jesse Quick start going out?<br>How will Kid Flash's and Jesse Quick's outing go?  
>What's going to happen between Cyborg and Sarah Simms?<br>Will Beast Boy get himself killed by pursuing the blonde girl?  
>How will Robin react to Raven's words?<br>If Robin and Raven do go out to Jump City, how will their little date... er, outing, go?

Thanks for reading!


	10. Connecting the Dots

**A/N** - So, this is a fairly long chapter. To be honest, I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter. However, I hope you enjoy it. Also, I would advise against skipping some parts because some of the parts in this chapter are important and will play a major role in this story.

* * *

><p>"Wait, <em>what?<em>"

"I changed my mind," Raven repeated. "I'll go with you tonight."

"Seriously?" Robin was dumbfounded.

"Yes."

Robin repeatedly opened his mouth and closed it. He was in absolute disbelief. After a minute, he quickly said, "Great!"

"What time?"

"You decide," he said, leaning against the door frame.

"Is five o'clock alright with you?"

"Uh, yeah, that's perfect."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Raven awkwardly looked away before turning away from the door. She quickly entered her room, a blush creeping up on her face. She didn't even know what had come over her. Why had she said yes? That was extremely out of character for her.

Running a hand through her hair, she threw herself onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. She thought deeply while trying to keep her emotions at bay. One thing was certain: she needed to maintain control over them or all hell would break loose.

Starting to feel regret building up in her system, Raven began reading a thick novel. Fortunately, she got lost within the dark material that captured her full and undivided attention with the vivid details and angsty nature. It was the perfect distraction.

The half-demoness quickly lost track of time. So, naturally, she was surprised when she heard a knock on her door. She jumped, mentally cursing herself.

"Uh, just a minute!" Raven called, shutting the book once she marked her current page.

She quickly pulled out an outfit from her wardrobe. It was a simple form-fitting blouse that was the color black and gray denim jeans. To finish off the look, Raven was wearing black boots that didn't have heels. Before she opened the door, she decided that it would be unwise to leave without a jacket. Her eyes immediately landed on the jacket Robin gave her. Fighting the smile that tugged at her lips, she grabbed it and put it on, zipping it up halfway.

Finally, she opened the door, revealing Robin who had his hands casually shoved into his pockets. She was glad to see that he too was dressed casually. Otherwise, it would have been unbelievably awkward.

Silently, the two teenagers made their way to the common room, where Speedy was still lackadaisically plopped on the couch. The only difference was that Aqualad and Starfire were now with him, intently watching the television screen. However, their eyes swiveled to the birds upon their arrival.

"What's with the jacket?" Speedy asked Raven, jutting his chin toward the jacket that Raven was wearing.

"What about it?" Raven asked emotionlessly.

Speedy cocked his head to the side. "It's Robin's, isn't it?"

"I gave it to her out of the goodness of my heart," Robin said mockingly with a formal tone.

"Uh, yeah, I seriously doubt it," Speedy carelessly said.

"Yeah, where exactly are you two going?" Aqualad asked, curious.

"We're just going to hang out in Jump City," Robin replied.

Starfire squealed, "How glorious! The two of you are doing the thing of going out!"

Getting irritated, Robin grabbed onto Raven's arms and dragged her to the nearby door. Without looking back, he quickly opened the door and exited the Class Titan tower. Raven followed.

"You know, I bet fifty dollars that they're going to be dating in two weeks," Speedy commented, amused.

Aqualad said, "I bet fifty dollars that they'll be dating in a month."

"It's a bet, then." Speedy and Aqualad shook hands, leaving Starfire confused.

**-Meanwhile With Kid Flash And Jesse Quick-**

"I can't believe that old lady flicked us off."

Kid Flash and Jesse Quick were walking in the park that was located in Central City. They had walked up to this random woman they came across and started badgering her with questions. The two of them had discovered that this woman was a teacher. In Jesse's opinion, the woman should have retired. Or died. It was practically mind-boggling that somebody could still be alive at that age and be working.

"I bet she has a mean right hook," Kid Flash chuckled.

"I bet she was on the Titanic at the age of forty!" Jesse exclaimed.

"What if she comes running after you while swinging her giant purse?"

"I'm faster, duh. Also, now that I think about it, you could probably fit three kids in that purse. What if she's a serial killer that rapes little children?"

"You seriously come to that conclusion because she has a momma purse?" Kid Flash asked, thinking that this far-fetched idea was ludicrous.

"Exactly! The teacher story could just be a cover. She probably has a white van that has 'Free Candy' written on the side!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you buy a creeper van when you're older," Kid Flash remarked, resulting in a slap on the arm.

"You know what? I'm going to prove my theory!" Jesse said.

"How?" Kid Flash ask, worried.

"You'll see..."

**-Meanwhile With Robin And Raven-**

"You'll see," Robin said, a smile spreading across his face.

As of right now, Robin was currently leading a blind-folded Raven towards a building. She was wondering where he was taking her. It wasn't her fault that curiosity was getting the best of her.

"Robin!" Raven complained, making a couple of bystanders give them funny looks.

"We're almost there," he told her, mentally laughing.

A minute later they finally stopped walking. Wanting to drive the gothic empath crazy, Robin waited a minute before slowly removing the blindfold.

Raven smacked him on the arm when she saw what building they were standing in front of. "Red Robin's? Really?"

Robin cheekily grinned and opened the door to the restaurant. They were quickly led to a table booth, much to Robin's satisfaction. Nothing was more annoying than waiting for a long time for a table to open up. Soon enough, a cheerful looking woman in her mid-thirties appeared at their table to take their orders.

"Hello, I'm Kylie and I'll be your waitress for this evening. What can I get you?" she said, readying herself to write down their orders.

Robin glanced down at the menu. "Uh, we'll get the Towering Onion Rings as an appetizer."

"And to drink?" Kylie asked, looking up as she quickly wrote down the appetizer selection.

"I'll have a chocolate milkshake. She'll have the same thing," he quickly told the waiter before Raven could answer. Nodding, the waitress left.

"What was that?" Raven demanded, irritated.

"You should try other things. Doesn't the tea get old after a while?"

"No, it doesn't."

"Oh, come on! Try it; you might like it. In fact, I know you'll like it." Robin sent her a puppy dog face.

Raven sighed, "What makes you so sure?"

"I just do."

Kylie returned to their table with their shakes and appetizer. She wrote down their choice for a main course before walking away again.

"How was your day so far?" Robin asked, taking a bite of an onion ring.

"Horrible."

"So you just decided to hang out with me because of that? What am I, chopped liver?"

"No, I decided to come here with you because I knew you would be able to make my day better," she admitted, shocking them both.

Robin smiled. "Now, try it," he said, referring to the chocolate milkshake.

Reluctantly, Raven did. She was amazed by the chocolaty and sweet taste that greeted her taste buds. She took another sip, making Robin laugh.

Robin stared at the Azarathian for a few moments before leaning forward. His lips slightly curved upward when he saw that she looked like a deer trapped in headlights. His hand reached her face and he gently caressed her pale cheek. Then, he slowly flicked out his thumb, bringing some remnants of the chocolate milkshake onto her pale pink lips. Without even realizing what she was doing, Raven automatically licked up the chocolate, staring at Robin. She wished she could see his eyes. The empath wanted a better insight on how he was feeling.

A nearby waitress that was carrying a platter with seven drinks broke the trance between the two birds. Walking with heels really wasn't the best mode of transportation. The woman's ankle twisted, making her fall. In the process, the tray carrying the beverages was sent flying out of the female's hands. Unfortunately, the drinks were heading in Robin's and Raven's direction.

Using his acute senses and fast reflexes, Robin quickly leaped up and pushed Raven down to the ground. They rolled over a couple of times, lying a couple of feet away from their table. The drinks had been so close to spilling all over the two of them. Even though the prospect of that occurring was worse than what was currently happening, Raven wished that the people in the restaurant would stop gawking at them.

Thankfully, nobody seemed to connect the dots.

Soon enough, Raven realized that she was straddling Robin's waist. She blushed before getting off of him. He swiftly followed her actions.

"I am so sorry!" The waitress yelled, an apologetic expression on her face.

"It's fine," Robin told her. Raven could sense the irritated tone in his voice.

The clumsy waitress offered to give the two teenagers a free dessert, but the two birds declined. Sheepishly, the waitress disappeared for a minute or so, returning with a mop and a white rag. She hurriedly wiped the table and both sides of the booth with the rag before cleaning the stickiness on the floor with the mop. After apologizing once more, the woman left.

Raven and Robin awkwardly sat down, trying to avoid the looks that were still being sent their way. The two of them were quiet for a couple of minutes before Robin started another conversation, one centered around her. He asked her about her favorite books, her dislikes, and her hobbies. When their food arrived, Raven questioned him about his life. The end of the conversation wheeled itself to the academy they attended.

"So, what are some of the goals that you would like to accomplish within the school year?" Raven asked, taking a bite off a fry.

"I just want to help people," admitted Robin. "Let people know that you can do your best, despite all odds. To show people that our world isn't truly a terrible place; that it doesn't belong to the crooks."

Raven was thoroughly surprised by the wisdom that traveled through her ears. Obviously, there was more to Robin than what met the eye. Sure, he was cocky and sometimes annoying, but there were several factors that made up for that. For one, he was intelligent, making him rather easy to converse with. Secondly, he was benevolent, just wanting to help people, even if his methods weren't exactly the best approach. The trait that stood out most to Raven, however, was how he was tenacious, never willing to give up. In all, he was actually a decent guy.

Shocking herself even further, Raven informed Robin about what was on her mind. "You know what irks me?"

"Uh, no. What is it?"

"How people are so judgmental. How they just decide to judge you on something you have no control over whatsoever. How they assume that you'll follow the path that's dictated for you rather than the one you want to walk. That's what bothers me. Quite a bit, I might add," Raven said, referring to her mentoring session with Zatanna.

Unbeknownst to the empath, Robin was actually impressed. Raven's thoughts were deep and enthralling. Even though one might say that she has the personality of a dry wall, he would be inclined to disagree. She had beliefs that were reasonable; beliefs that he agreed with. Just her sole presence thrilled him, which might be a little ridiculous since they haven't exactly known each other for an extended period of time. Truthfully, it surprised him; surprising that he believed there could be a person in the world that was just that amazing. It scared him, too.

The conversation continued, with the two birds continuing to talk about the school. Raven took a sip of her milkshake and smiled, intently listening to a story Robin was telling her.

Even though they would never say it out loud, the two birds couldn't deny that their relationship had strengthened.

**-Meanwhile With Kid Flash And Jesse Quick-**

"Do I have to do this?" Kid Flash whined, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Yes!" Jesse exclaimed. If he backed out of this plan now, she would be furious. She had spent thirty dollars for nonrefundable objects. They had to come in use... or else.

"This will never work!" Kid Flash said a little too loudly, making a couple of bystanders look their way... and making them regret it.

Kid Flash was currently dressed in a little kid's attire. His outfit included a shirt with an incredibly lame pun written across the front that was too small, Superman pajama pants that barely covered half of his calves, blue crocs, and a white diaper that was awkwardly sitting on top of the pajama bottoms. In all, he looked absolutely ludicrous.

"Why not? I'm pretty sure that if it looks like you have the mentality of a four year old, it will work."

"What's the point of this, anyway?"

"Well," Jesse drawled, "let's say that this woman is actually a person who molests little children. This little ruse would be the proof we need to send her behind bars. We can't use an actual kid because that would risk putting the kid in danger. Hence, your costume."

Kid Flash groaned. "You owe me."

**-Meanwhile With Speedy-**

Speedy sighed. There was absolutely nothing worth watching on the television. A few minutes after Robin and Raven had left the Class Titan tower, Aqualad had excused himself. The probability of the Atlantean racking his brain for clues about the pendant was highly probable. Aqualad still seemed pretty pissed at Speedy, so it was a miracle that he didn't sock Speedy in the face when they had been watching the television. Tomorrow, however, Speedy swore that he would help the long-haired boy with his search.

After Aqualad had exited the common room, Starfire went into her room. The ginger had no idea what she was doing and he had no intention in finding out. He contemplated going in the jacuzzi, but mentally shook his head. That thought had dredged up too many unhappy thoughts about the incident from last night.

Tediously, Speedy changed the channel, landing on a news station. He was about to change the channel again when this reporter by the name of Vicki Vale showed up on the screen, standing in front of a warehouse.

"This is Vicki Vale, reporting to you live in front of a warehouse near Crime Alley. Earlier today, an anonymous phone call was sent to the Gotham City Police Department, stating that this particular warehouse was flooded with traces of blood. Of course, the GCPD thought that this call was some sort of prank, but Commissioner Gordon and his crew quickly made their way to the scene. It would appear that the anonymous caller was telling the truth. However, no blood was detected as of right now. More details are expected later on."

Sighing once more, Speedy turned off the television with the remote and stood up. He made his way to his messy room and sat down at his cluttered desk. The archer took out a plain sheet of paper and began sketching the only image that was clearly standing out in his mind, but didn't involve the incident from last night.

**-Meanwhile With Kid Flash And Jesse Quick-**

"Okay, there she is," Jesse whispered, pointing in the woman's direction.

"I'm not blind," Kid Flash hissed.

The two teenagers were crouching behind a bush, sending frantic glances at the elderly woman. Jesse looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was going to set soon. The woman's bedtime was probably nearing, so it was imperative that they put their plan into motion.

Reluctantly, Kid Flash stood up in a slouching type of position. He did this in order to make himself appear shorter. However, he was pretty sure that he resembled the Hunchback of Notre Dame... just a little more stupid-looking, if possible. The speedster made his way towards the lake, where the woman was feeding ducks pieces of bread. Jesse believed that the bread contained some illegal substance that would kill the ducks overnight.

When he was closer to the lady, he dropped to the ground and began flopping like a worm on the concrete. According to the clerk at the store they purchased the clothes at, it was a popular dance move. Kid Flash thought the man had consumed too much alcohol, which is bad since he shouldn't have been drinking on the job in the first place. The only reason he was doing this stupid dance move was because Jesse wanted him to. Man, he was so weak.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kid Flash saw the woman glance in his direction. Excellent. He continued with his seemingly drunk flailing, drawing loads of attention to himself. The woman hurried over to him, a concerned expression placed upon her wrinkled face.

With a surprisingly strong grip, the woman lifted Kid Flash off the ground. She glared at the boy and made it appear as if she was chastising a grandson. The woman mouthed a bunch of nonsense and began dragging the boy away from the public eye.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The lady hissed when they were a great distance away from bystanders in an alley. Kid Flash noticed that she sounded younger than she had earlier.

"You know, just trying to live the teenage dream," Kid Flash dryly remarked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you trying to blow my cover?"

"I wasn't aware that old ladies needed covers. What, are you actually a terrorist in disguise?"

The elderly woman smirked. "Something like that..."

A fist collided with Kid Flash's face. The impact sent Kid Flash falling to the ground. The woman was about to kick him in that special spot when he rolled over out of her reach. He quickly got up and sprinted out of the dank alley before she could blink twice.

Kid Flash didn't stop. He didn't want people to see who he was and risk revealing his secret identity. When he saw Jesse trying to nonchalantly make her way towards the alley, he hooked his arm around hers, bringing her with him. The two speedsters ran for a couple of minutes, stopping behind a motel near the woods.

Wordlessly, Kid Flash took the plastic bag containing his clothes out of Jesse's hands. As he changed back into his clothes, Jesse looked away, curious about what had transpired.

When he was done getting dressed, Jesse asked, "So, what happened?"

"In a way... we were both right," he answered.

"How were you right?"

"She has one hell of a right hook."

After that comment was made, Kid Flash summarized the events that had happened while he was in disguise.

"_And,_" he drawled, "I plan on figuring out who that woman is and what she's planning."

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

Right after Robin finished telling her his story, their food arrived, looking incredibly scrumptious. Raven thought that if Cyborg or Beast Boy were here, their mouths would be watering.

"So," Robin said slowly, "I noticed that your selected weapon in Weaponry is a mace."

"Do I really look that idiotic with it?" Raven asked, squirting a small amount of ketchup on her plate for the fries.

"Well, I must admit that you're not on par with Hawkgirl... yet."

"Do you know how much it hurts to drop a twenty pound mace on your foot?"

"Can't say I have," Robin replied. "Although, I must admit that it hurts to get a batarang lodged firmly into your forehead."

"How did that happen?"

"Before my reign as Robin, Batman was training me. One of my training sessions involved dodging his gadgets, including batarangs, the Bat-lasso, and Bat-Darts. It's harder than you might think. Anyway, Batman was a sly bastard. He had sent a batarang towards me that wasn't as precise as the previous attacks were. Quickly following that batarang came another one; one that was closer to its target. In order to avoid it, I did a backflip. That acrobatic move showed me that the batarang that missed by quite a distance was actually a reverse batarang that turned around to hit its target after making them think it missed. Halfway through the stunt, the sharp angle of the projectile weapon stuck on my forehead. I learned a lesson that day... well, two lessons," Robin informed her.

"What would those two lessons be?" Raven asked, taking a small bite out of her hamburger.

"One: don't underestimate your enemies. Two: don't let Batman stitch up your injuries."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Raven said, amused.

The two continued eating, swapping more stories about each other. One of Robin's stories was a close call with the Riddler, who had sent him on a wild goose chase full of riddles while Batman was away in Paris. The story ended with Robin barely managing to save the mayor of Gotham City. Raven's stories weren't nearly as entertaining as his, but he developed a type of interest in them.

Soon enough, their bellies were full and the majority of the food was consumed. The two of them lingered at the restaurant, just enjoying each other's company. After Robin had made a flirty joke towards Raven, she flicked a french fry at his face. She almost laughed when she saw his dejected facial expression when it hit him squarely on the nose.

Raven's pleased expression turned wary when he stood up and sat down on her side of the booth. He avoided her gaze for about thirty seconds, building up some suspense. Right when Raven's worry level started decreasing, he immediately began trying to tickle her. She automatically moved out of his reach and threw another fry at him. This continued on for a couple more minutes and ended with Robin wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, not even attempting to tickle her.

"People are staring," Raven quietly told him, trying to maintain control over her emotions.

"Let them," he whispered.

**-Meanwhile With Kid Flash And Jesse Quick-**

The two speedsters stopped in front of a karaoke bar in which teenagers were allowed. It was the first building they saw that wasn't dilapidated. They entered the building and sat down on a table. Jesse excused herself for a couple of minutes and returned with an ice pack.

She sat beside Kid Flash and gently pressed the pack of ice on his upper cheek where a bruise was already forming. He winced at the coolness that was applied to his tender flesh, but he didn't move away. The two teenagers stared at each other for a few minutes, the loud music hardly distinguishable to their ears.

"You know, I've always wanted to be a singer," Jesse admitted.

"Really? Would you mind giving me a little demo?"

"I'm probably not that good," Jesse told him, averting her eyes away from his.

"I strongly doubt that," he said.

When the host of the karaoke event asked the crowd for volunteers, Kid Flash immediately pointed at Jesse. Jesse glared at her companion before stepping onto the stage after the people at the karaoke bar urged her to do so.

"Why, hello," the host said. "Is this your first time here?"

"I think that should be obvious," Jesse said, attempting to be a little funny.

"Alright, first off, what's your name?"

Jesse replied, "Jessica Chambers."

"Alright, Jessica, here's how this works. Up on the screen will be ten songs that you can choose to sing. You're able to select the one that you would like to sing. In case you need a little help with the lyrics, all of the lyrics will be rolling upwards on the screen. Do you understand?"

Jesse nodded and after sending a worried glance in Kid Flash's direction, stared at the large screen. Ten song names appeared with the artist's name underneath. Some of the selections included Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker and Linkin Park's In The End.

"So, what are you gonna throw down?" The host questioned

"Uh, let's go with Carrie Underwood?"

"A country girl, eh? I never would have-"

"Just play it!" Kid Flash shouted from his seat, making a couple of people laugh.

_'Right now he's probably slow dancing with a bleached-blond tramp,_  
><em>and she's probably getting frisky...<em>  
><em>right now, he's probably buying her some fruity little drink 'cause she can't shoot whiskey...<em>

_Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool-stick,_  
><em>showing her how to shoot a combo...<em>

_And he don't know..._

_That I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive,_  
><em>carved my name into his leather seats...<em>  
><em>I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights,<em>  
><em>slashed a hole in all four tires...<em>

_Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats...'_

Jesse continued singing the song. As it progressed, her initial shyness dissipated, showing her truly confident self. She stared directly into Kid Flash's eyes when her mouth uttered the final line of the song.

Everybody in the room gave a round of applause when she finished singing the song. Blushing, she sat back down next to Kid Flash who was grinning widely.

"You're an amazing singer," he informed her.

She grinned cheekily at the ginger. "Why, thank ya."

"I also learned one little thing," he continued.

"And what would that be?"

"I learned that it would be best to not mess with you."

She laughed. "You got that right."

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

"Where are you taking me now?" Raven asked as they quickly made their way through the crowd. They had left the restaurant twenty minutes ago when they got kicked out.

"You'll see," he replied.

Raven sighed exasperatedly. "Robin!"

"We're almost there," Robin reassured her.

'Almost there' proved to be ten minutes. The two teenagers stopped in front of a small stable where an elderly man was grooming a horse. When he saw the two teenagers, however, he put the brush away and faced them.

"How may I help you?"

"I heard that you have the best horses in Jump City," Robin said. "So, I was wondering if you could maybe let us borrow two horses. If you want, I can even give you money."

"How can I be certain that you'll return the horses to me?"

"I give you my word," Robin told the man before showing him a slip of paper that must have held a significant amount of importance since the man immediately entered the stable.

The man soon returned with two horses in tow. Both horses appeared to be purebred. One of the horses was a white Andalusian, a stallion by the looks of it. The other horse was much larger than the Andalusian and was a brown Budweiser Clydesdale. The white horse was strongly built with a thick mane and tail while the mare appeared to have an even temperament and undeniable strength. In all, they were incredible breeds in their own right... and that was just looking at them.

The man helped the teenagers saddle up, much to Raven's chagrin. Frankly, she preferred to walk on her own two feet. She also didn't know what Robin was planning, so obviously she was reluctant about this whole idea.

Ten minutes later, they set off towards the woods.

"How did you convince him to give you the horses?" Raven asked.

"Let's just say that I can be _very_ persuasive," Robin vaguely replied.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

Robin laughed. "I have a feeling that you already know the answer to that."

"Let me guess... 'You'll see.' Am I right?"

"'Fraid so."

The two teenagers continued through the woods at a well balanced canter, with Robin leading the way.

Raven was speechless when they came to a stop fifteen minutes later. The two teenagers were standing in a clearing in the woods. However, it wasn't an ordinary clearing in the woods. To Raven's right was a small waterfall that had crystal clear water gently cascading down smooth and jagged rocks of a variety of colors, adding to a magical feeling. The water emptied out into a stream that flowed away from the clearing. The sound that was being emitted from the waterfall provided a placid aura, since a deafening roar type of sound wasn't produced. A few feet away from the amazingly beautiful waterfall was a picnic blanket that was impeccably fixated in the center of the clearing. Beside the blanket was a small picnic basket and a gray radio. Several candles littered the ground, currently unlit.

"_Wow,_" Raven breathed.

"So... You like it?"

"This place is amazing," Raven assured him. "How did you find this place in the first place?"

"I guess there's no harm in telling you that I actually enjoy exploring. It just feels right," he admitted.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about that."

Robin flashed a smile her way before getting off the horse with apparent ease. He quickly tied the Andalusian to a tree where sharp blades of grass were plentiful on the surrounding ground. That way, if the horse became hungry, he would be able to somewhat satiate his hunger. After completing that task, Robin gently helped Raven get off her horse. She smiled gratefully at him and quietly watched him as he tied up the Clydesdale.

Raven asked her companion, "So, when did you set this up? Assuming that you did, in fact, set this up yourself."

"To be honest," Robin began, "as soon as you retreated back into your room, I literally rushed over to the transportation deck and took a launching pod to Jump City. Once there, I arranged this little... _er,_ outing."

"I see."

Robin led the Azarathian towards the blanket that was spread across the center of the clearing. The two sat down and Robin lit the white candles with a lighter that was located in the pocket of his jeans.

"So, how come you didn't go to your mentoring session?" Raven asked, thinking about how he wouldn't have had time to work with whoever his mentor is.

"It was postponed," he told Raven.

"Who's your mentor, anyway?"

"I'd figured that it wouldn't be too hard to guess," Robin answered.

"Batman?"

"Bingo."

Abruptly, Robin sat up straighter. He reached over and took out a circular plastic box.

"What is that?"

"Dessert," was his reply.

Raven watched Robin pick up the lid, revealing a scrumptious looking chocolate cake. He took out two forks and two paper plates. Robin cut a small slice for her and gave her the plate.

Cautiously, Raven tried a bite. "This is so good! Who made this?"

"Certainly not me," Robin told the empath. "My culinary skills are limited to pouring cereal and making ham sandwiches."

"Could you possibly be worse at cooking than Starfire?"

Robin thought for a moment before shaking his head. On Thursday, Starfire had tried to make the members of Class Titan breakfast as a sign of friendship. Her kindness had resulted in two broken pans, damaged glass cups, and a sick green boy who had been throwing up his guts for over an hour.

Soon enough, the two teenagers had finished eating the small chocolate cake and were laying down next to each other, staring up at the twinkling stars in the darkening sky.

"It's so beautiful," Raven admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

Robin's eyes flickered towards her face. "Yeah, it is," he replied with a volume that matched her own voice.

Raven glanced up at him, a warm smile showing. In Robin's opinion, it highlighted all of her features, making her much more beautiful. Hesitantly, Robin's hand moved, wrapping itself around hers. She flinched upon the contact but slowly relaxed. Their smiles grew wider.

In that one single moment, it seemed like there was absolutely nothing wrong in the world...

**-Later That Night-**

Kylie DePriest was exhausted. Believe it or not, waitressing was more strenuous than one might think. It definitely wasn't a glamorous job like acting or singing, but it managed to pay the bills, which was enough. Sighing, she fished out her keys for her apartment from her cluttered purse.

Upon entry, Kylie should have realized that something was amiss. After all, several belongings of hers were out of place. Astonishingly, she didn't even feel the cool wind that was billowing into her apartment room from the window that was slightly cracked open. She was just that tired. Yawning, the woman poured a glass of water and made her way to the living room.

A chill crept up Kylie's spine when she heard that one specific cold voice speak. _"Well?"_

Kylie's initial response was dropping the glass that was clenched in her fists. She hardly saw the shattering glass. Instead, she was focused on a shadow in the corner.

"Keep that up and flies will be flying into your mouth. We certainly wouldn't want that to happen. Otherwise, things won't bode very well for you. Now, tell me, what did you learn?"

Kylie paused for several moments, thinking about her current predicament. Sighing, she replied, "I didn't learn any exceptional information."

"That's a damn shame," the shadowed figure's voice held a dangerous tone. "Did you plant the bug?"

With dread growing in the pit of her stomach, Kylie zipped open her purse once more. After shuffling objects around, she found the bug that the masked figure was referring to. The bug's appearance was diminutive and had a small button on the side that could easily be missed. Pressing the button would make the bug transform into a widget similar to a flash drive.

"Don't even_ think_ about running," the figure told her before snatching the flash drive out of the waitress's hands.

The mysterious person snapped open a laptop and after entering Kylie's password, she slid the drive into the device. A program popped up onto the screen and the masked figure immediately pressed play. With only three seconds of buffering, surreal sound began playing. Kylie's visitor expertly messed with the computer, managing to only listen to the highlights of the conversation that was being heard.

"I must admit, this information is very disappointing."

Kylie's eyes widened as she backed away from the figure. "Please don't kill me. I'm just the messenger."

The figure smirked, moving closer towards the woman that was scared out of her wits. When the figure hauntingly spoke, the tone that was used was lethal. "Unfortunately for you, I do believe in killing the messenger. It sends a message." And with that, a katana slid past the defense of the sternum and ribs and was plunged into the heart of Kylie DePriest. With a sickening gasp, the woman's eyes rolled to the back of her head as her body slumped onto the wooden floor. A pool of scarlet blood started forming, gruesome in all its glory.

"You're getting sloppy."

The figure standing by the dead body whirled around, coming face to face with a taller figure dressed in black.

"I know what I'm doing," the shorter figure growled with gritted teeth and clenched fists.

"You're making too many mistakes. Soon enough, the authorities will be hot on your trail. You're leaving behind evidence of breaking and entering, obvious signs of searching through one's things, and your victims are dying of the same cause. When you broke into that one museum, you forgot to disable a camera and ended up getting caught on camera. You're lucky that nobody has managed to connect the dots."

"These people are oblivious; only wanting to see what they wish to see."

"That may hold true for the civilians, but what about the Justice League?"

"I can guarantee you that they won't find out about the plan. If they do, it will be much too late. By then, there will be absolutely nothing that they can do..."

**-The Next Day With Cyborg-**

"Hey Sparky," Bumblebee greeted the robotic boy from her position on the couch.

Cyborg smiled. "Hey."

"So, our fellow classmates told me about a little bet they have going on."

"A bet? What it's about?"

"Apparently," Bumblebee drawled, "my comment struck a little inspiration within Aqualad and Speedy. They currently have a bet going on about when Raven and Robin will recognize their little... uh, romantic problem."

"Raven and Robin? I seriously doubt that a relationship between the two of them would ever happen."

"Why? Because you hold a secret love for a certain masked bird and you want to serenade him in the middle of the night?"

"I can assure you that is not the case," Cyborg informed her.

"So, you're telling me that you're not smitten with Robin? Damn, that would've made a brilliant soap opera plot line."

Cyborg laughed. "There's nothing going on there, I promise. Anyway, I know I don't really talk to Raven very often, but for some reason, I feel protective over her. Kind of like how an older sibling feels about a younger sibling. I just want to make sure she doesn't get hurt."

Bumblebee was honestly surprised. "You think Robin will end up hurting her?"

Cyborg paused before answering her question, trying to gather his thoughts to form an understandable sentence or two. "I think that he won't intentionally hurt her. Rather, I think he'll get caught up in saving the world and will accidentally neglect her. Does that make sense?"

"Man, you're awfully deep," Bumblebee told him. "However, despite your unbelievable wisdom, I beg to differ."

"How so?" Cyborg asked, reaching for the only apple in the bowl that wasn't bruised.

"I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it's because they seem too stubborn and nobody else will fall for them."

"Oh, so you're going to die alone from your own stubbornness?"

Bumblebee playfully punched him on the arm. "Hey! I am not that stubborn. At least I can admit defeat."

"You would do it reluctantly and hate every single millisecond of it, though."

"Well, duh! Anybody would hate the prospect of losing!"

"_Which,_" Cyborg said slowly, "is why you should leave the wisdom to me."

With that, Cyborg exited the tower and climbed down the set of stairs. Before he had left his room, he had talked to Sarah and she had agreed to meet him in front of the stairs by Class Titan's tower. He waited on the last step for about a minute before she came into view.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. Even I get a little confused around this place, believe it or not." She smiled apologetically at him.

"Don't worry about it," he told her. "I just got here myself."

"Okay, good."

Sarah Simms led Cyborg towards her office. A silence fell upon them. Surprisingly, it wasn't one of those awkward silences that have the tendency to suffocate you. Rather, this silence was actually comfortable.

In her office, Sarah spent an hour describing the most complex technology parts that would have made most teenage boys drop dead from the overload of information. Not Cyborg, though. In fact, this newly discovered information gave him a few ideas about upgrading his parts. It also gave him an idea about making an exceptional car with snazzy gadgets and features.

"I'm surprised your head hasn't exploded already," Sarah mused.

"I'm surprised that yours hasn't long ago. This technology is quite advanced," Cyborg said.

"Well, we're fortunate enough to have connections that are able to provide all of this equipment."

"You must have wicked connections."

Sarah laughed at his comment. "My skills at Scrabble are also pretty, _uh,_ wicked."

"Are you challenging me to a game of Scrabble?" Cyborg asked, intrigued.

"_Maybe..._"

"You're on."

Over an hour had passed before the game of Scrabble was completed. Cyborg was undeniably shocked when Sarah managed to play the word 'oxyphenbutazone' across three triple-word-score squares, thus earning her 1,778 points. The best word that Cyborg had managed to play was 'zarf' for 108 points.

"What's a zarf, exactly?" Sarah asked Cyborg as they were putting the game pieces away into the box.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "It was a word that my grandmother would always yell at the television, though."

"Ah, so there's a high possibility that it's gibberish?"

"'Fraid so."

Soon enough, the game was neatly put away back on a shelf.

"Well, I must admit that it was extremely fun to kick your ass at Scrabble," Sarah told Cyborg, surprising him with her language.

"Hey! It wasn't a total ass kicking!" A pause. "Well, maybe it was, but I still think you cheated."

Sarah pushed him out the door. "Goodbye Cyborg."

**-Meanwhile With Beast Boy-**

Beast Boy's plan was bound to fail. That much should have been obvious to the green boy. Unfortunately, he was unbelievably oblivious to everything.

From his position behind the large plant, he saw the blonde exit the cafeteria. She was alone. Beast Boy counted to three before emerging from behind the plant. He ran smack into her "accidentally." She started falling and Beast Boy promptly grabbed her before she could hit the floor.

"Can you let go of me?" The girl asked impatiently, her eyes glaring at the green hand that was gripping her waist.

"Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see," Beast Boy said in a 'smooth' manner.

"There's no one else in this hallway, idiot."

Beast Boy immediately let go of her. He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I just can't help myself. I just happened to be blinded by your beauty so I'm going to need your name and number for insurance reasons."

"Okay, first off, my name is Terra. Secondly, I would appreciate it if you stop hitting on me because I have a boyfriend."

Terra tried walking away, but Beast Boy automatically latched onto her arm, causing her to face him once more. "Please, wait! Do you have a license? Because you're driving me crazy!"

Terra rolled her eyes. "Beast Boy, read my lips. You're. A. Dope." She quickly walked away.

Beast Boy crinkled his nose. "Kiss the pope? What?"

**-Later That Week On Wednesday-**

According to Class Titan, Monday and Tuesday had passed uneventfully. Seriously, the most interesting thing that had happened so far that week was when Batman broke Superman's nose, which was thought to be impossible. This made Batman much more popular among the students and increased his dangerous reputation.

Fortunately, though, Wednesday was a much more interesting and action-packed day,

Instead of running to increase their stamina at Team Training, they worked on an obstacle course exercise. Naturally, there were only three different teams because there were only three classes. Class Titan was the first team to enter the maze-like course. Their main objective was to save the five captives, while trying to find their way out without any casualties. The team that completed the obstacle course the quickest while succeeding in fulfilling their objective would win a prize.

Before entering the course, Class Titan quickly discussed about their strategy. In the end, they agreed that Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire would lead the group into the maze. Robin would be able to detect any traps with Cyborg's assistance. In case of emergency, Starfire's strength and starbolts would prove to be useful. Behind them would be Raven, Beast Boy, and Speedy. The three of them possessed acute senses and would be able to quickly react if something came their way, such as a trap being accidentally sprung. Trailing behind them would be Bumblebee, Kid Flash, Astoria, and Aqualad. These four teenagers would act as look-outs, searching for anything the two other groups missed. Their formation would also prove useful in case an extra punch was necessary, especially from a distance (Kid Flash was excellent at creating distractions). Class Titan also agreed that splitting up would be beyond stupid and would be the perfect way of eliminating their numbers. Plus, they had to work as a team.

Upon entering the obstacle course, they were automatically greeted with several lasers that were directed in their directions, as well as a plethora of robots swarming around them. Obviously, Robin's thought that the beginning of the course would just contain traps and not enemies was erroneous.

Without hesitation, Robin whipped out his bo staff and began taking down his enemies with pure speed. Starfire clenched her fists, shooting starbolts at the larger robots. The head of one robot came flying off and landed in front of Beast Boy, who promptly stepped on it, ending all thinking processes that it might have. Beast Boy then turned into a lion and pounced on a couple of robots. Cyborg smashed two robots together, damaging their circuits. After dropping them, he began using his sonic cannon with excellent precision. Bumblebee shrunk in size, stinging and sufficiently damaging four robots. Astoria used her power of illusions by making two pairs of robots attack each other because they technically saw their enemies. Speedy shot three arrows at three robots in a time span of only two seconds. Kid Flash confused a robot by running with immense speed around it, making the robot shoot himself. Aqualad rolled out of the reach of a robot, wishing that he had easy access to water. Sighing, Raven wrapped her aura around the remaining robots that were still standing and swiftly crushed them, putting them out of action.

"Time is of the essence," Raven told her staring teammates. This made them focus on their current task once more.

On their way to rescue the first captive, Robin had disabled two bombs and Cyborg had successfully put a snare out of commission. In order to rescue the first captive, they had to cross a ground with electric currents running through it. On the other side of the room, the captive was gagged and tied up on a raised platform Starfire swiftly jumped up into the air and flew to the other side. The alien yanked at the ropes, breaking the bonds. She removed the gag from the captive's mouth and carried him to the group of teenagers waiting on the other side. What made this task a little tricky was the fact that a cage tried dropping on Starfire on the return trip. Luckily, she had dodged it at the last possible moment.

The second captive was slowly being sucked up into a shrub with vines similar to the ones that Poison Ivy has the ability to control. Beast Boy quickly leaped forward, transforming into a lion once more. He gnawed on the malicious vines, ignoring the sharp thorns that stabbed at his mouth and skin. Sometimes, you just have to take one for the team. Within a minute, the robotic captive was freed.

Cyborg was the next person to save a captive. This captive was stuck in a cage with thick metal bars. Robin used a gadget that should have been able to melt the bars, but it didn't work. Tenaciously, Cyborg grabbed hold of the bars and pulled. The metal started to bend sideways, creating a gap just wide enough to fit a person through. Another captive was safe.

On their way to the fourth captive, five guns rose out of the ground, shooting deadly bullets at Class Titan. Using super speed, Kid Flash quickly destroyed the guns before anybody could get injured. The fourth captive was saved by both Raven and Robin. This captive was strapped to a conveyor belt with chomping teeth at the end of the belt. Without a doubt, those teeth would crush the captive. Automatically, Raven used her powers and stopped the belt from moving. Robin launched himself forward and tore the strap in half. Only one more captive was left.

The last captive was located near the exit of the maze. The last captive was hanging from coarse ropes that were slowly sinking, about to drown him in a large pool and was, unfortunately, was surrounded by an army of robots. Craving for some action, Aqualad closed his eyes and concentrated. Within five seconds, a huge gush of water attacked the robots that were milling around, avoiding his fellow teammates. The robots started dropping like flies once their circuits were sufficiently fried. Figuring that the lack of water in the pool was an excellent opportunity, Speedy raced forward and cut the ropes that held the captive suspended into the air. Soon enough, all of the robots that weren't pummeled with water were accounted for. Quickly, the members of Class Titan sprinted out of the obstacle course, the robotic captives in tow.

Batman was waiting for them when they exited the obstacle course. He promptly pushed a button on the timer that was in his hand. "You finished the obstacle course in seven minutes and twenty-three seconds," the masked vigilante informed them. Frankly, he didn't seem very impressed.

In the end, Class Titan ended up winning the prize. Class Honorary had completed the obstacle course in nine minutes and thirty-two seconds while Class Tenderfoot had finished it in twelve minutes and fifty-six seconds. The prize was really lame though and paled in comparison to whatever the teenagers were planning on winning. Superman had awarded the teens with shiny gold star stickers. Amazing prizes, huh?

Right after the dismissal bell rang, Superman cornered Raven and Robin. "If you two could follow me...?"

After exchanging confused looks to each other, Raven and Robin followed the famous superhero to one of the main buildings. A black plaque indicated it as the administrative building. The two teenagers entered the building with Superman, wondering what the hell was going on. They entered Hawkgirl's office.

The office wasn't like an ordinary office. Hawkgirl's office was intimidating, for lack of a better term. The room was dimly lit, giving off a bad vibe. A rack of weapons was placed in the back of the office, looking... well, deadly. Posters of infamous villains lined the right wall, reminding Raven of a most wanted list. On the opposite wall was a medium-sized hole that indicated that Hawkgirl must have lost her temper at one point.

Hawkgirl turned around to face the people who had just entered the room. She gestured for Robin and Raven to take a seat in front of her mahogany desk. They did so while Superman moved to stand beside the Thanagarian.

"A little situation came to the attention of the Justice League," Hawkgirl informed the two curious teenagers.

"There have been a string of deaths in the general area of Gotham City. Normally, we would have Batman take care of it since it's near his city, but he's been rather busy with the mass breakout from Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison."

"Wait," Robin interrupted. "There's been a mass breakout? How come it hasn't been on the news?"

"They're trying to keep it quiet," Superman answered.

"Who escaped?" Robin questioned, obviously concerned. The thugs in Gotham City were a force to be reckoned with.

"Carmine Falcone's thugs, as well as Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Bane, Joker, Harley Quinn, the Riddler, and Victor Zsasz," was Superman's grave response.

Before Robin could get any ideas, Hawkgirl said, "Batman is handling that specific situation. He already managed to put Hugo Strange behind bars, which just goes to show you that he is taking care of it. Anyway, that's not why we requested for the two of you to come here."

"Like I said, there have been a string of deaths taking place in the northern part of the United States. We believe that they are somehow connected," Superman told Raven and Robin. "All of these deaths are similar to each other, making us believe that the same person is behind each death. The latest death was in Jump City, the woman's name being Kylie DePriest. One of the reasons why this murder is so strange is the fact that white roses were found in front of her apartment building. White roses were also delivered to the other people that ended up being deceased."

"Aside from the flowers, how were the deaths similar to each other?" Raven asked.

"They were stabbed to death in the heart by a katana," Hawkgirl flatly replied.

"So, what does this have to do with us?" Robin asked, leaning forward.

"We decided that it's time to assign a mission to a group of students at the academy. This issue sprouted up and the two of you seemed to qualify for this mission," Superman responded.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Superman said. "However, we'll have Huntress and Question on standby. If this issue isn't resolved by Sunday, they'll take over."

"Zatanna will help slightly alter your appearances since she's one for theatrics, considering that she's a magician," Hawkgirl said, which made Raven mentally groan. "After all, the two of you are bound to stand out, especially with the impression you made in Jump City."

"The two of you will be staying in a hotel in Jump City under the aliases that Flash is currently in the process of making. If everything goes according to plan, the two of you will be checked into the hotel by six," Superman said, clasping his hands together.

At that moment, Zatanna opened the door and entered the office. She nodded at Superman and Hawkgirl before quietly waiting for the meeting to be officially adjourned.

"Hawkgirl, would you be kind enough to escort Robin out of the room and wait for a couple of minutes? I have something I need to discuss with Raven and Zatanna."

"Why, of course," the Thanagarian replied, exiting the room with Robin behind her.

Superman cleared his throat. "It came to my attention that yesterday, during your mentoring session, you, Raven, walked out before Zatanna dismissed you. Did something happen, something that provoked you, perhaps?"

Raven sat up straighter and glanced at Zatanna with a stoic expression. That was when Raven decided that she wasn't going to give Zatanna the satisfaction of knowing that the magician bothered her enough to tattle on her. If she was going to get anywhere, she would have to remain strong.

"Nothing happened," she lied believably in her monotone voice.

Superman studied her for a minute or so before nodding, seemingly satisfied. He led the two females out to the hallway, where Hawkgirl was waiting with Robin. Raven's first impression was that the Thanagarian seemed impatient and flustered. Shayera looked relieved to see the new arrivals.

Zatanna silently led the two teenagers in Class Titan to her quarters. She quickly worked on them, changing their appearance to make them look older and less recognizable. Raven was surprised that Robin obstinately insisted on putting in colored contacts in a separate room, showcasing how protective he actually was over his identity. Even then, he was wearing sunglasses. Raven's disguise included wearing a long, black wig, smoky eye makeup, brown contacts, silver high heels, and a short dress that was a light blue and white in color with a satin belt that had an intricate design. Silver earrings completed the look. Raven was highly uncomfortable in the outfit, to put it delicately. Like Raven, Robin was also dressed in expensive attire, admittedly handsome. The barest traces of makeup could be seen under a very close examination.

Zatanna clapped her hands, satisfied with her work. "Now, your bag of luggage will be waiting for you when you visit Flash. I know the choice of clothing is probably not what you would prefer, but it is essential for the two of you to remain in character. When you meet up with Flash, he will have files ready for you with your back-stories. Everything checks out, so you don't have to worry. Study the files as he finishes making your fake IDs. You'll find him in the room two doors away, on the right-hand side."

Raven and Robin entered the room that Zatanna had been referring to. Flash was hunched over a computer, frantically typing away at the keyboard. Upon their arrival, he immediately looked up. He swiftly pulled two folders out of a drawer at the desk he was sitting at and handed the files to the teenagers.

Raven learned that she would be operating under the name Aria McPhee, the twenty-one year old daughter of a famous movie producer. Her family was incredibly rich, which would explain her choice of apparel. Aria's family lived in California, which would be on the opposite side of the country from where they were planning on staying. Her preferred music choice was rock and pop music. She loved reading and planned on becoming a writer. The thing that surprised her most, though, was the fact that she was going to be acting like Robin's fiancee.

Robin's character's name was David Pierce. Like Aria's family, his family was rich and were close acquaintances with Bruce Wayne. His mother was a former model and his father was a movie director that often worked with Aria's dad, which would explain how the two met. He was a year older than Aria and wished to become a surgeon. He and Aria had a lot in common and were supposedly high school sweethearts. According to the file, he was going to get married to Aria in the spring.

Flash leaned back in his chair, chuckling to himself in his head. This situation was going to be very interesting without a doubt. His second thought was that it was lucky the two of them looked older than they actually did (with the aid of makeup, too). Otherwise their cover would quickly be blown.

Flash stood up and prepared the camera on the tripod. He snapped a few pictures of the two of them before uploading them to the computer. Naturally, he photoshopped the pictures he had decided to use to make them look a little younger and so that it seemed like the pictures weren't taken that day. Flash inserted the pictures into their respective spot on the template. He printed them out accordingly. In the end, they actually seemed pretty legitimate.

After that daunting task was over with, Flash quickly worked on their passports. Even though they didn't travel by plane, they would need to have a passport on them because they technically arrived by plane. Once again, photoshop was used to make the pictures a little more realistic. Raven sighed in relief when it was printed out.

Flash left the room to supposedly make sure a problem wouldn't be caused with the fake forms of identification. Raven walked over to the couch to find her luggage leaning against it, along with a purse. The purse contained a wallet with hundreds of dollars, as well as a cell phone. Raven assumed that it would be used to report back to the Justice League. She put the file into the purse before zipping it closed. The luggage included several designer clothing, notably dresses. Raven felt a blush creeping up on her face when she realized that Robin's jacket was perfectly folded underneath the clothes she never laid eyes on before. Necessary objects were also included in side pockets, such as toiletries.

Within an hour, they arrived in Jump City. They took their time finding the hotel, deciding that it wasn't imperative that they check in as soon as they arrived. However, they didn't wait until they were in the hotel to act in character. As soon as they landed in Jump City, they began to convincingly act. It made Raven highly uncomfortable.

The hotel was extravagant. A twinkling chandelier hung from the ceiling, each individual crystal shining. In the center of the lobby was a beautiful fountain with crystal clear water and an intricate design on the exterior. Off to the side was a sitting room near the large crackling fireplace. An expensive looking vase was centered in the middle of a a darkly covered table, surrounded by two couches that actually looked comfortable to sit on. The paint on the walls looked tasteful, the purposely jagged stripes alternating between beige and a dark brown. On Raven's way to the front desk, she caught a glimpse of the dining room and saw that the tables were draped in pristine white tablecloths. The faint sound of piano reached her ears. This place was obviously a five star hotel; a place reserved for the very rich.

Before the checking in process could be completed, the black woman behind the desk commented, "You two look awfully young."

Raven laughed. Fortunately, it didn't seem fake, even though it was. "Well, I'm glad we look youthful. It just goes to show you that we're pulling something off. It's bound to benefit us twenty years from now."

The lady behind the desk laughed. It was quite obvious that she wasn't used to humor. "Would you mind sharing your secrets?"

"I would advise exfoliating your skin and drinking plenty of water," Raven said.

"I see..." The woman smiled and handed Robin the card that would give them access to their room.

Their room was located on the fourth floor. Knowing that the elevators were bound to have people on them, Robin insisted that they take the stairs. Raven didn't protest.

Their room wasn't as incredible as the lobby, but you could tell that it wasn't extraordinarily cheap. The walls were a creamy beige while the floors were dark wooden floorboards. A plasma screen television was elevated on the wall above a dresser. Several magazines were neatly spread across the clean surface space. Velvet drapes gave the barest view of the balcony. A few feet away from the television was a beautiful painting. Beside the balcony door was a small table with the bottom of a wooden chair pushed underneath it. A circular mirror was plastered on the wall above the table. Despite the simple beauty of the room, there was one slight little problem.

There was only one bed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

Alrighty, I apologize for the wait. I must admit that I've been a little sidetracked with reading and things of that nature. Also, I must apologize for the constant point of view flip-flops. I need to work on that. Important tidbit: This is just an estimation, but there's probably going to be over twenty chapters in this story. Maybe thirty. Who knows? I may wind up being on the receiving end of brilliant ideas. One could only hope. Also, once this story ends, would you guys be interested in a sequel or two? I'm just curious.

**Questions To Think About:**  
>Who will win the bet?<br>Did anybody in the restaurant actually recognize Raven and Robin?  
>Will Kid Flash's reign of terror make the headlines?<br>What was Starfire doing after she left the living room?  
>Will more information be found about the warehouse fiasco?<br>What was Speedy drawing?  
>Who was the old woman in the park?<br>Why does the woman in the park need a cover?  
>What is the woman in the park's plan?<br>Will Jesse Quick become a singer?  
>Are Kid Flash and Jesse Quick now officially dating?<br>What did Robin show the man that owned the horses?  
>Who's a better cook: Robin or Starfire?<br>Who was the mysterious figure in Kylie DePriest's apartment?  
>What was the conversation that was recorded on the bug about?<br>Who was Kylie a messenger for?  
>After Kylie was killed, who was the other person that was in the apartment?<br>What are the two mysterious figures planning?  
>Will the other members of Class Titan cease talking about Raven and Robin behind their backs?<br>Who is Terra dating?  
>Why did Batman break Superman's nose?<br>Will anything important come out of the mass breakout from Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison?  
>Why were white roses delivered to the homes of the people that were killed?<br>Are the deaths actually connected together?  
>Will the tension between Zatanna and Raven decrease?<br>How will Robin's and Raven's mission go?

Thanks for reading!


	11. Hectic Hotel Haste

Robin quietly swore. If this was the Justice League's idea of a joke, it certainly wasn't very humorous. He glanced in Raven's direction and noticed that she was clenching her fists, looking ready to incinerate the single bed. Soon enough, however, she regained control of herself and calmed down.

"I can take the chair," Robin offered, his voice pitched low in volume.

Raven grimaced. "That's completely unnecessary. I'm sure that we can be responsible adults about this."

"Seriously, I wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor or the chair. I'm used to resting in uncomfortable positions. Plus, I wouldn't want you to feel out of your comfort zone."

"I'll feel guilty, though."

"Why would you feel guilty?" Robin asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable on my behalf. We can each be mature about this arrangement and share the bed. You can have one half and I'll have the other half," Raven said, setting her luggage down in order to do something other than look Robin in the eye.

"Are you sure? I mean, a crick in the neck wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to me."

"They sure are annoying, though. But, yeah, I'm sure. After all, nothing's going to happen, right?"

"Er, right. Thanks."

The two teenagers spent fifteen minutes emptying out their luggage. Once that task was completed, Robin decided that it would be a good time to go downstairs and eat dinner. He held out his arm for her to take, which she did in order to continue on with their charade. When they arrived in the little restaurant on the first floor of the hotel, Robin politely held out Raven's chair for her. She smiled at him.

The hotel restaurant was serving Italian food that night. Robin drank pure water while Raven's choice of beverage was red wine. Robin ordered ravioli; the fresh white parcels stuffed with wild mushrooms and the right amount of cheese. An even amount of spices added an explosive taste to what would have probably been a bland meal. A well prepared salad accompanied the plate of ravioli. Raven ordered pasta that was littered with tiny pieces of turkey meatballs and sprinkles of cheese. A delicate red sauce covered the cheesy meal, offering a meal that was both authentic and scrumptious. The only complaint that Raven really had was that there was too much garlic.

On their way out of the elegant dining room, Robin joked, "Hey, at least we know that you'll ward the vampires away."

"You know, there's a possibility that I can be a vampire," Raven joked back, staying in character. "After all, that red wine could have actually been blood."

"You're not thinking about draining my body of blood, are you?"

"I'm considering it."

The couple stopped in front one of those little shops that expecting mothers seem to find adorable. Robin told Raven to wait for him, which she did reluctantly. A couple minutes passed before Robin returned, producing a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Upon initial scrutiny, Raven could identify lilies, roses, and tulips. In all, the wide array of bright colors would give off a lively effect in any room, especially in a dreary hospital room.

"These are for you, my lady." Robin bowed formally, trying hard not to burst out into a fit of laughter.

"I think you just decreased your chances at living," Raven told him, referring to their little vampire conversation. Nonetheless, she graciously took the flowers.

"Well, maybe an eternal life would be a little more interesting than being a boring old human, especially if I'm with you."

Raven looked away, a reddish tint appearing on her pale skin. Why was she blushing? They were acting, for crying out loud! None of this was real: just pretend.

The two ascended the stairs, heading to their room. Once they were in the confines of their room and out of the watchful eye of other people, Robin pulled off his fancy jacket and Raven threw her high heels across the room.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" asked Raven.

Robin crossed the room, taking out a newspaper from a drawer. Raven assumed that whoever had packed his bag and supplied him with a newspaper in case they needed more information. He quickly read over the printed material.

"According to this article, the woman that recently died lived in this apartment building two blocks away. Tomorrow, we can walk over there and sneak into the actual room."

"How can we guarantee that there won't be any police officers in the room and if there's any remaining evidence?"

"The authorities aren't as thorough as civilians think. They miss things. There's a high possibility that we'll discover our own evidence. As for the other dilemma, I'm pretty sure we'll know if a cop is at the apartment if there's a police car parked out front," Robin told the empath, setting the newspaper down.

"What would happen if we don't uncover any evidence at all?" Raven questioned, wondering what the World's Best Detective's former sidekick would do if such a situation happened to arise.

"I would blame you for jinxing it."

Raven frowned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing," Robin replied.

"I would certainly hope so… I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Why are we masquerading as a rich couple? I mean, wouldn't that just draw more attention to ourselves than if we seemed like ordinary people without a care in the world?"

Robin hesitated before responding. "Up here, money is power. The same rules apply to Gotham and the surrounding cities. If we need to access a prohibited area, money will most likely enable us to access the area. Plus, the more open we seem and stand out, your enemies are less likely to look twice. In some instances, anyway."

Raven nodded slowly, finally understanding the concept. Robin smirked in her direction before hopping into the shower, leaving Raven to send a report to the members of the Justice League. She cursed him. The empath removed the communicator from her purse. She examined the device, figuring out that a contact number for the Justice League was already programmed onto the piece of technology. Raven also noticed that a keyboard was provided, which would enable her to send a text message if she didn't want to actually call the Justice League. Like a coward, that's precisely what she did.

'_We managed to check into the hotel without any problems. We already have a plan in the works. More details will be given tomorrow. –R&R.'_

Sighing, the Azarathian pulled open the drawer that contained Aria McPhee's clothing. She gritted her teeth when she saw that the pajamas that had been packed revealed a little too much skin for her liking. Raven had a strong suspicion that this was all planned by the founders of the famous superhero organization. In the end, she ended up changing into the outfit that looked the most comfortable and covered more skin: black shorts and a gray T-shirt. Robin entered the room right when Raven finished pulling the shirt on, giving him a quick glimpse of the smooth skin on her back.

Raven turned around to find Robin on the other side of the room, clad in black and red pajama pants. He wasn't wearing a shirt, causing him to show off his abs. The Azarathian's first response was throwing the first clothing piece that she grabbed in the drawer at him. Unfortunately, it happened to be a bra.

Smirking, Robin easily caught the feminine object. "Ooh, lace. Very nice." Robin's smirk grew wider when he saw the tag that showed the bra size.

Immediately, the drapes that were hanging in front of the door that led to the balcony collapsed. The light bulb in a lamp instantly broke, courtesy of Raven's powers.

Robin whistled. "Well, what do you know? This hotel really isn't too fabulous. I mean, a defective lamp? What kind of hotel is this?" Fortunately, he got the hint and put a shirt on. He also handed over the bra, much to Raven's embarrassment.

The two teenagers spent quite a bit of time putting the drapes in its previous position. It was particularly difficult because Raven kept getting tangled up in the thick material and Robin was having difficulty reaching the rod that hung above the window. Raven didn't bother using her powers because the result most likely would have been disastrous. After all, she was better at pulverizing things than repairing them.

Soon enough, the two birds were sitting down and watching a cartoon on the television. In Raven's opinion, it was rather dull and lacked in wit.

"I wonder what the other members of Class Titan are doing," Raven said, her attention on the screen waning.

**-Meanwhile With Class Titan-**

"Dude! Get your butt out of my face!" Beast Boy yelled, wanting to do his signature move of flailing his arms around like a bird trying to fly for the first time.

"Tell Aqualad to get his crotch off my ankle!" Kid Flash shouted back.

"Don't criticize me! It's bad enough that I think I may split my pants any second now!" Aqualad roared, sweat pouring down his face.

Loud music blasted from the expensive stereo with excellent sound quality. Fattening food was placed on a table, carried off from the cafeteria. Also, according to Kid Flash, he smuggled some of the food from the head cafeteria lady's room. Apparently, she was a hoarder. The boys in Class Titan were playing the game Twister as the girls watched, highly amused. In all, the vibe that was being transmitted within the room was friendly and fun.

Bumblebee flicked the spinner that came along with the game. "Alright, Kid Flash, place your right leg on yellow."

Kid Flash lifted his leg up and 'accidentally' kicked Aqualad in that special spot. The speedster's foot was safely on the directed color as Aqualad fell down on the mat, clutching his groin. The song on the stereo changed to 'Another One Bites The Dust' by Queen. How fitting.

"Interference!" Aqualad shouted when he gained control of speaking once more after the pain had subsided.

"Get a grip," Astoria said. "People cheat all the time."

Aqualad wailed, "I say we start over!"

"I say you get off the mat so I can earn the title of Twister Champion," Kid Flash told the Atlantean.

The last two people on the Twister mat were Speedy and Kid Flash. Beast Boy thought that it was a battle of epic proportions because the two of them were gingers. In the end, however, Kid Flash was declared a champion. A cheating one, at that.

"Is it bad that I'm kind of glad that Robin and Raven are gone? I mean, if they were here, they would have most likely stopped us from having fun," Bumblebee commented.

"Are you calling them downers?" asked Beastboy.

Bumblebee rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. Well, maybe. I'm just glad to be having fun with friends."

"Where are they, anyway?" Astoria asked, curious.

"Probably resolving their unresolved sexual tension," Bumblebee quickly replied before anybody else could. "In other words, they're most likely sucking each other's faces off."

Speedy faced Bumblebee and asked, "Are you their drunken fairy godmother or something?"

"What kind of fairy godmother plays matchmaker? Even if that fairy godmother is drunk?" was Bumblebee's response.

"Cinderella's godmother did!" Beast Boy yelled, reminiscing about the wonderful Disney movies he watched when he was an unbelievably adorable toddler. Seriously, chubby kids were always the cutest.

Bumblebee rolled her eyes again. "No, Cinderella's godmother's goal was to get Cinderella naked by the end of the night. Hence the disappearance of the clothes she wore to the ball."

"Was that you favorite part of the film or something?" asked Beast Boy as he grabbed a cup of soda.

"Of course not," Bumblebee told the green boy. "However, I'm pretty sure that you got a boner when you were a kid while watching that one romantic scene in Lady and the Tramp."

"I'm pretty sure you're going to end up with a highly unattractive beer gut!" Beast Boy retorted.

Everybody rolled their eyes, amused.

**-Meanwhile In Gotham City-**

Batman gently touched down on a rooftop near his destination. From his current position, he looked for all possible signs of entry. After that task was finished, he examined the area, searching for any crooks that loitered around. Once he was satisfied with his results, Batman glided down to the ground.

Instead of entering the building through the front door, the masked vigilante silently crept over to the side of the building. He pulled a vent off its hinges with his bare hands, trying to be as quiet as possible. Then, the superhero dressed in black began crawling through the small tunnel, a plan already developing in his intelligent mind.

The building was actually constructed in the early 1900s, but some adjustments made the building look a little more modern. This building acted as a boarding school for both males and females who attended junior high. The location of the building was about ten minutes away from Wayne Enterprises, which put it in a position that was a little more remote.

Unfortunately, Victor Zsasz was holding the schoolchildren hostage.

Batman continued crawling through the small space. Before five minutes had passed, he had exited the ventilation system and had cut off the oxygen supply of two henchmen by sneaking up behind them and holding them in a chokehold. Since he didn't want the alarms to start ringing quite yet, Batman hid the bodies in a grate underneath the actual flooring. Once that was accomplished, Batman looked up and grappled up, away from the main building.

The Caped Crusader weaved through poles and debris, hidden out of plain view from his position on the roof-like structure. When he fully crossed the panel, he glanced down to the main building after he got into a crouching position.

Victor Zsasz had ordered his henchmen to drag the children… er, zombies, to the room he was pacing in. By the looks of it, the room looked like the cafeteria. Once all of the frightened teenagers were gathered around the psychopathic villain, Zsasz grabbed a small girl by the arm and dragged her with him to the center of the room. Her scream was muffled, as well as her pained gasp.

"What's your name, dear?" Victor Zsasz asked with an insane glint in his eyes.

"Roxanne," she quietly told him, frightened for her own safety.

"Well, Roxanne, can you identify this weapon for me?"

Roxanne looked up to see the villain clutching a sharp knife in his right hand. She gulped. "It's a knife…"

"Very good. Now, can you tell me what would happen if I run this beautiful blade across the jelly of your eye, Roxanne?"

Roxanne's face paled further, along with the other students and the teachers. She tried to back away from the maniac, but she couldn't escape from his iron grip.

A teenage boy, presumably Roxanne's boyfriend, bravely stepped forward. "Let her go," he told the criminal that belonged in Arkham Asylum.

Batman quickly stood up from his position. He removed his line launcher from its place in his utility belt. Unlike the previous models, this line launcher was much quieter when it was launched, aiding him with stealth missions. He carefully aimed the device before he released the trigger, sending him flying to the other side of the room. The World's Greatest Detective dropped down behind a structural weakness and sprayed a small coating of explosive gel on the weakened wall. Then, he carefully dumped a vial of thick goo onto the floor near the entrance of the room. As soon as the goo made contact with the floor, it seemed to dissolve away, unnoticeable. Before Batman exited the small room, he placed a diminutive chip onto the adjacent wall of the weakened wall. As soon as it was plastered to the wall, a high pitched frequency was emitted, attracting the attention of the armed goons in the next room. Batman quickly grappled up to a higher elevation.

Naturally, all of the crooks from Blackgate Prison that had accompanied Victor Zsasz to the boarding school rushed over to the area, craving to pound Batman's skull into the rough floor. The first men to enter the room slid when their feet came in contact with the powerful goo that Batman had spread across the entrance. Their bodies rolled over the other side, knocking them into unconscious. Some of the crooks cautiously entered the room, while others backed away, unknowingly nearing the other side of the wall with explosive gel. At the right possible moment, Batman detonated the explosive gel. Automatically, the criminals were sent flying back, successfully getting knocked the flying slabs of jagged concrete.

Victor Zsasz whirled around, letting go of the boy who had told him to let go of Roxanne. The boy was bleeding from a cut on his upper arm, but that was the only injury that had been inflicted upon him. The former patient of Arkham Asylum intently looked around with mad eyes, looking for any indication of his enemy: Batman.

Batman silently ran across the area he was standing on and somersaulted himself over a wooden crate. Moving over to this particular place gave him a better view of Zsasz, as well as giving him some slight cover. The vigilante took out a batarang and sent it flying at the scarred man. Victor dodged it before the projectile weapon could come into contact with his pale flesh.

A short boy, and possibly the youngest, screamed as the insane serial killer yanked him away from the group of children who had started gaining hope. "Show yourself, Batman! If you don't, my hand might just slip and this poor little boy will lose his head… literally!"

Batman noticed that Victor Zsasz seemed to have a good idea about his general direction from his position. The Arkham inmate was poised facing Batman with the little boy struggling to get out of the serial killer's grip. Unfortunately, the little boy was efficiently blocking any attempts that Batman could make to hit Victor Zsasz with a batarang from his current position. Swiftly, the Caped Crusader took out a reverse batarang and flung it towards the criminal. Zsasz chuckled creepily when the batarang missed him. However, the scary sound coming out of his mouth ended when the batarang turned around and whacked him in the back. The boy ran away, tears streaking his face. Batman glided down, gracefully landing behind Victor Zsasz.

As soon as Batman had landed onto the lowest level, the famous serial killer threw one of his reliable knifes at his enemy. Using his incredible reflexes, Batman caught the knife in his hand and tossed it on the ground. The Arkham inmate was already pulling out another knife when Batman's hand closed around his scarred throat tightly. Before Zsasz could be completely deprived of oxygen, Batman threw his body on the ground and slammed his head onto the cold stone.

Batman helped the scared teachers with bringing organization and order back to their school. Within fifteen minutes, the young teenagers were safely put back into their rooms after Batman ensured that there weren't any hidden bombs or anything. After all, Victor Zsasz's strongest weapon was unpredictability.

Batman returned to the cafeteria and examined Victor Zsasz's unconscious body. He wasn't wearing a shirt, nor was there anything hidden in the manacles that seemed to be glued to his body. However, he was pleased to find a sheet of paper stuffed in the pocket of Zsasz's trousers. The note said:

'_Is a poor serial killer getting jealous? Watch out, Zsasz, you're getting too predictable.'_

There wasn't any indication of who wrote the letter. However, a sinking feeling in the pit of Batman's stomach developed as he carefully placed the note in an evidence bag. It seemed as if he had another enemy on his hands….

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

Raven didn't even remember falling asleep last night. So, naturally, she was surprised when she gained a vague bearing of her surroundings. After blinking a few times, she realized that her head was resting on something hard. Startled, she found her limbs entangled with Robin's. With a silent scream, Raven rolled away from his body. Unfortunately, she fell off the bed and managed to fully snatch away the sheets, winding up entangled in them.

Robin jolted awake, alert. He glanced down to find a peeved Azarathian on the floor. "What happened?"

Instead of replying, Raven stood up with slight difficultly and pulled some clothes out of the drawer containing her clothes. Then, she stormed into the bathroom. Robin could hear the faint sound of running water.

"Man, I feel bad for the people underneath us," he muttered to himself before dropping down into a push-up position.

Raven spent the majority of her shower calming down. After all, it wasn't exactly Robin's fault for what had transpired. It had been her idea, not his. He probably didn't even have a clue about what she was angry about. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Raven took a few deep breaths and let the warm water rush over her body, soothing her sore muscles.

The Azarathian quickly dried off before changing into the outfit she had selected in her haste. The outfit included dark jeans that flared out at the bottom, black flats, a snakeskin halter top, and a small black cardigan. She put the wig into place after blow drying her violet hair.

When Raven entered the room, Robin was in the middle of his intense fitness workout. Tiny droplets of sweat glistened on his muscled frame. She tossed the damp towel at his figure. "The shower is all yours."

Robin quickly finished up his workout and took a quick shower. While he was hogging up the bathroom, Raven turned on the television. She discovered that there had been a huge earthquake in Chile and that Flash, Wonder Woman, Fire, and Green Lantern had saved hundreds of lives and homes. On another channel, this man named Glorious G. Gordon Godfrey was dissing the world's superheroes on his sensational talk show. Raven changed the channel after the confident man implied that Wonder Woman was a hooker.

Thirty minutes later, Raven was in the bathroom once more, trying to figure out how to use the curling iron that had been in her luggage. This thing should have come with an instruction book.

"R—David! Do you have any idea on how to use this stupid contraption?" She asked, figuring that he would have some small idea on what to do since it always seemed like he spent ages doing his hair.

Robin entered the bathroom to see what Raven was talking about. She was holding out a curling iron for him to see. He raised an eyebrow. "Can you even use this on that wig?"

"Well, considering the fact that it's made out of real hair, I would assume so," Raven told him, flabbergasted.

Robin awkwardly held the iron. Somehow, the hot device flew out of his hands and the outlet, landing on the shower curtain. Raven slapped Robin on the arm and turned around to see that the curtain was catching on fire. Before they could do anything about the flames, the deafening sound of the fire alarm started ringing with its even pace. Raven quietly swore and watched as Robin quickly extinguished the small flames. He quickly tossed the hair device to Raven, which scalded her hand. However, she ignored the pain and rolled the wire around the small clamp. Robin rearranged the shower curtain to hide the small portion where the curling iron burned a hole through the thin material. To Raven's annoyance, Robin splashed a large amount of water on her head, making the hair of the wig damp. Before they exited the room in a supposedly timely manner, Robin made Raven put the hair product in an empty drawer.

The fire trucks arrived at the hotel right when Raven and Robin left the small fire escape stairwell that led to the side of the building. Luckily, they didn't look too suspicious because they weren't the last people out of the building.

Soon enough, the firefighters discovered which room the fire was started in, which resulted in the two teenagers getting questioned.

"I think our room must have an extremely sensitive fire detector," Robin told the man who seemed to be the head firefighter. "My beautiful fiancée was taking a hot shower and before we knew it, the alarm was ringing. It was some freak accident, I think."

"I can assure you that my fiancé and I are not arsonists," Raven told the firefighter, slipping into the role of Aria McPhee.

The firefighter didn't seem very convinced. Nonetheless, he nodded. Within five minutes, the fire truck was pulling out of the hotel parking lot.

"Way to go, genius," Raven dryly told Robin when they were back in their room.

"Hey, excuse me for being at fault for your being a sad excuse of a girl," he retorted.

"You can't necessarily blame me for my abysmal skills at this type of stuff. After all, I was raised in another dimension where my biggest concern was keeping control of my emotions and getting food for the winter."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. I'm sorry. Anyway, we best start getting a move on and check out the apartment," said Robin.

Raven agreed, but after she had a cup of tea. Robin let her and took the opportunity of eating breakfast himself.

The two birds nonchalantly walked the two blocks that would lead them to the apartment building. Robin was pleased to see that there weren't any police cars parked in front of the brick building. They didn't enter through the main door, though, for fear of getting called out by the desk clerk. Instead, they painfully climbed up a rusty chute that led to the roof by the back of the building with a bunch of dumpsters.

Raven was relieved when they were standing on the roof. As soon as she had finished the treacherous climb, the thought of flying dawned on her. She felt like a moron now and it was a wonder that Robin didn't call her out for it. Thankfully, the door that gave access to the roof was unlocked, allowing them to walk through without breaking the handle or door.

Raven hissed, "Do you remember what room number it is?"

"2D," he whispered back.

Quickly, the two teenagers reached the second floor without detection. Raven prepared herself to phase the two of them through the correct door, but was surprised that she didn't have to since the door was unlocked. Quietly, they entered the apartment room and shut the door behind them.

The apartment was messy, for lack of a better turn. It seriously looked like a mini-tornado formed out of nowhere in this room and turned everything upside down. Raven supposed that this was due to the search that was performed by the authorities.

"I think it's safe to say that this room was thoroughly searched," Raven pessimistically commented.

Instead of responding to Raven's words, Robin crossed the room and hacked into the laptop computer. He checked the documents and files that were saved onto the computer and found none. Frowning slightly, Robin checked the recycling bin, coming up empty-handed. Obviously, somebody didn't want any files to be found. With a growing frustration, Robin went on the Internet and checked the recent history. It was wiped out. He had a feeling that this was a doing by somebody other than the authorities.

Raven asked, "Did you find anything?"

"No," he answered. "It's as if somebody wiped the computer clean of any data, except for programs that were already on the computer when it was purchased."

"Is it possible for you to retrieve the erased data?"

"It's possible, but difficult. It takes quite a bit of time, too. If this person was thorough, they would have changed the data in disk management so it would be impossible to recover lost information. Once it's been rewritten, you can't access it," was Robin's intelligent response.

"Well, why don't you give it a shot?" asked Raven.

Before Robin could answer her question, the two teenagers heard the small click that indicated the handle on the front door turning. The two birds glanced at each other with obvious horror showing in their eyes. Well, hell….

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

Victor Zsasz is such a creep, wouldn't you agree? Anyway, I hope I did a pretty good job with that scene concerning Batman. Also, this chapter was chocked full of RobRae scenes, which I hope you enjoyed.

**Questions To Think About:**

Will Raven and Robin uncover any information?  
>Will Bumblebee get a beer gut like Beast Boy said?<br>Why was Victor Szasz holding a bunch of schoolchildren hostage in the first place?  
>Who wrote the letter that was given to Zsasz?<br>Who cleared Kylie DePriest's laptop of all the data?  
>Will Robin be able to retrieve any information?<br>Who's entering the apartment room?

Thanks for reading!


	12. Missing the Big Picture

As soon as Robin heard the noise that indicated that somebody was about to enter the room, he immediately closed the laptop shut. Then, the former sidekick swiftly grabbed Raven's arm and led her inside the room of the closest door. It was the laundry room. Quietly, he closed the door and clamped his hand over Raven's mouth while managing to hold onto the portable computer.

They heard scuffling in the main part of the apartment 2D. Robin assumed that whoever was in the apartment was searching through a series of papers. This didn't seem very suspicious to Robin. However, an alarm started sounding in the back of his head when he heard rushing water and a masculine voice that swore.

Raven's eyes widened when she realized how close she was in proximity to Robin. Their chests were pressed against each other, creating some friction between the two teenagers. One of Robin's hands was firmly covering her mouth, while the one that was tightly holding onto the laptop was wrapped loosely around her waist. This was probably to prevent her from stumbling in the dark room, which would draw the person's attention to the diminutive room. After all, Raven wasn't the most graceful of people, even if she obstinately denied it.

Unfortunately, Raven's realization activated her powers, making the sole light bulb in the room explode. The only good thing about it was that it wasn't lit, offering a situation that was a little less drastic.

With an astonishing speed for a mortal without any special powers, Robin pushed aside a rack of clothing, revealing a small laundry chute. Lacking with gentleness, he pushed Raven into the tunnel designed for sending clothes down to be washed on the ground level. He waited for a second before sending his own body down the chute. However, before he did that, he placed the clothing rack in its previous position. It would be better to make it look like some freak accident than having suspicion aroused.

The ride in the chute lasted for about ten seconds. Normally, the trip wouldn't have lasted so long, but the size of their bodies made traveling in the cramped tunnel arduous. When Robin's body flew out of the chute, he almost landed on Raven. Some slight maneuvering enabled him to land beside her. It also allowed him not to crush her body with his weight. His moving also put the precious laptop in a safe position where it wouldn't be pulverized.

"Was that really necessary?" Raven huffed, staring at the peeling paint on the ceiling.

"I'm afraid so," Robin said. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine, but I'm glad that I didn't break your fall. Otherwise, my answer might have been different."

"As much as I want to say that I'm glad you're okay, it would probably be best if we get the hell out of here before things get worse."

"Good idea."

**-Meanwhile In A Nearby Restaurant-**

"So, what did you find out about the woman named Roxanne Lenore?"

Xavier sighed before replying to the masked person sitting across from him. "She doesn't part with information easily. I feel as if she has trust issues, possibly from childhood trauma. That, or she's unbelievably irrational and infuriating."

The two people were currently dining in a restaurant in Jump City. They had booked a private room in the place, not wanting their conversation to be overheard by nosy civilians. Xavier noticed that his companion's food remained untouched. Rather, their attention was focused solely on him.

"Are you setting your sights fully on this particular task? I certainly wouldn't want this mission to be put into jeopardy because of your incompetence."

"In case you have forgotten," Xavier growled, "I have other clients, too."

"Are those clients paying you nearly as much as my organization?"

"Well, no. Be as it may, this task isn't my only priority," he told the person facing him.

"Don't tell me that you developed… feelings for this woman."

"Who said anything about having feelings for that cow?"

"Well, seeing as how you're so opposed to fulfilling your mission, there must be some obstacle to why you won't do what you're told. As disgusting as it may be, having feelings for Ms. Lenore seems most logical."

Xavier sighed. "Excuse me, but that conclusion isn't logical whatsoever. However, I'll have this task completed within two days' time."

"I would certainly hope so. After all, a man of your caliber should certainly understand the importance of things relating to time, such as deadlines."

With that, Xavier's companion gracefully stood up and exited the room. Xavier cursed under his breath when he realized that he would have to pay for the expensive meal and the private room.

**-Meanwhile At H.I.V.E. Academy-**

Jinx was currently enjoying her free period. Even though she had been at this school for a week, she loved it. Nobody underestimated her here, nor did they judge her. She could be herself and not worry about a single thing. Jinx sighed, staring up at the stars that littered the ceiling in her dark, ominous room. It was as if they were glittering, almost like the real night sky. Suddenly, the sorceress bolted upright, scrambling around for a notebook and a pen. Oddly enough, staring up at the stickers of stars made a stroke of brilliance hit her like a ton of bricks, working to her advantage. The sorceress frantically wrote down her thoughts, while managing to scribble tiny side notes on the edge of the yellow sheets of paper.

"Jinx! Hurry up! The Headmistress won't be pleased if you're late to another class!" Gizmo shouted through the door, trying his best to not make a snide remark. After all, he didn't want Jinx to snap at him again for his personality.

"I'll be there in a minute," she called. Quickly, she finished up the complicated diagram before shutting the notebook shut.

"What is that?" Gizmo asked his pink-haired companion when she exited her room. He was, of course, referring to the notebook that Jinx was tightly clenching in her hands.

She blinked and her grip on the notebook loosened. "Let's just say that a meeting with the Headmistress is in order."

The two teenagers quickly found the person that completed their villainous trio: Mammoth. They quickly made their way towards the Headmistress's office, planning on telling her about Jinx's plan, even though the two boys had no idea what that was. Rather, they were just going to go along with it and nod their heads at seemingly appropriate moments.

"Shouldn't the three of you be in class?" the Headmistress said when they entered her office. She was surprised to see them in her office.

"I came up with an idea, Headmistress. I wanted to run it by you," Jinx told her politely.

The Headmistress was intrigued. "What kind of idea?"

With a coy smile tugging at her thin lips, Jinx opened up her notebook to the page with the diagram. "It's a battle tactic, ma'am. I like to call it Attack Pattern Alpha."

Jinx watched as the Headmistress intently scrutinized the diagram. Over a minute passed before she looked up. "This is an excellent battle strategy. When do you plan on testing it out?"

"I was hoping that we could cause a bunch of mayhem tonight, if that's okay."

The Headmistress exclaimed, "Of course it is! I just want the three of you to take the rest of the day off and practice this strategy. Failure will no longer be tolerated…"

Before the woman could finish her rant (Zen lessons, as Jinx referred to them as), the door burst open, revealing a blonde girl. The girl was dressed in a slutty costume that revealed a lot of her skin. The costume had the barest traces of armor covering it, not offering a bunch of protection. The blonde girl had long hair and was wearing pink pumps. Jinx thought she looked like a two dollar store tramp.

"I couldn't help to overhear your conversation," the blonde girl snidely said, making Jinx snort. "I honestly think I can help them with their little damage inducing mission."

The Headmistress asked, "How so, Kitten?"

"I have some contacts," Kitten informed the Headmistress. "My boyfriend that I started dating two days ago, Fang, he's rather talented. He's pretty strong, too! Let's not forget about handsome! Then, there's my daddy: Killer Moth. He recently created an army of mutant moths. Perfect, huh?"

"If this boy, Fang, is as talented as you say, why doesn't he attend this school?"

"He's twenty-four," was Kitten's response.

"That's not called dating. That's called babysitting," Jinx rudely said. She just couldn't resist.

"Hold your tongue," snapped the Headmistress. Her attention returned to Kitten. "Well, I can certainly understand why he doesn't attend this prestigious academy. However, I must admit that I don't see the wisdom out of that particular situation."

"He's handsome," was Kitten's response. "Anyway, I can get my daddy and boyfriend to help out these guys out and do whatever on one condition."

"What condition?" asked the Headmistress with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I must accompany them."

Jinx's jaw dropped. "No! If she goes, she'll ruin everything! Just look at her costume!"

The Headmistress sighed, her inner thoughts battling in turmoil. A large part of her wanted to ensure that this mission would work out perfectly. Another part of her kept reminding herself that Kitten wasn't even on par with these outstanding pupils in front of her. In the end, however, she agreed to Kitten's participation with their little expedition.

As soon as Jinx was far away from the office, she swore at the top of her lungs and punched the wall.

**-Meanwhile With Class Titan-**

"I swear, if I chop my arm off, I will kill her," Astoria muttered to Bumblebee once Hawkgirl had informed them that they would be doing something different today in Weaponry. According to the Thanagarian, Green Arrow was off on a mission in Japan with a few other Leaguers.

"I don't really have anything against what we're doing in this class," Bumblebee said as they tested out the proffered swords to find the one with the perfect balance for them. "I just have a bad feeling about today. That could just be the creepy effect of Question, though. I don't think I have ever met somebody with so many conspiracy theories."

"What do you reckon happened that made Batman skip teaching?" asked Astoria.

Bumblebee shrugged. "I really don't know. Maybe he's with Green Arrow on that one mission?"

"Maybe…."

The two girls found the right swords for them and moved over to a station in the room. Astoria stood, poised and ready. Bumblebee stood about fifteen feet away next to a giant bucket. After setting her sword down, Bumblebee reached inside the huge container and removed a decently sized watermelon. Without hesitation, she chucked it at Astoria. Astoria intently watched it soar across the room, holding the sword out in the area she thought it would wind up. You see, this activity was one where they tested out their reflexes using a weapon. They had to slice the melons with their sword. If they weren't able to hit at least three out of five melons, they had to do fifty pushups. Unfortunately for Astoria, the abnormally shaped watermelon rotated to the left slightly and hit her in the face with the sweet juice squirting into her eyes.

Once the pain had subsided, Astoria looked around the room and was pleased to see that she wasn't the only one having some difficulty. Beast Boy had a watermelon on his head like it was a hat and Aqualad was clutching his groin in apparent pain.

At the end of the class period, Speedy was the only one that had managed to slice all his melons in half. Before the end of the period, Hawkgirl had made him wear a blindfold before backing away to the other side of the room. Then, the Thanagarian began throwing the melons herself, much faster than the kids in Class Titan. Amazingly, Speedy was able to break apart every single watermelon that was thrown his way.

When the bell rang, Hawkgirl made Speedy stay back for a minute. She placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling. "I just wanted to let you know that your mentor would be so proud of you. You did an excellent job, Speedy. You truly have an extraordinary gift. Don't ever forget that."

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

"Did you find out anything?" asked Raven for what seemed like the fifteenth time.

"Not yet," Robin responded.

Currently, the two teenagers were in their hotel room with Kylie DePriest's laptop. Raven was pacing back and forth, constantly peering over Robin's shoulders. Robin was hunched over the portable computer, trying to recover any possible information to see if they could uncover any leads.

Five more minutes passed before Robin leaned back in the chair. "I got it," he said, looking pleased with himself.

Raven quickly made her way to stand beside him and stared at the screen. Robin clicked open a file in the documents section of the computer. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a college essay, which wasn't what they were looking for. Another file was a typed résumé for a job. The two teenagers actually spent time reading the document because there was actually a chance that it could possess important information.

"She was our waitress on Saturday," Raven said with slight disbelief.

"That means there could be a chance she was spying on us," Robin said grimly, thinking about all the possibilities. You could practically see the cogs of his mind quickly turning like a clock going haywire.

"How could she possibly know who we are, though? What could she possibly gain from spying on the two of us, anyway?"

"She was murdered. There's a possibility that she disappointed whoever she was working for," Robin replied, opening up another document.

This document contained several photos of a tremendous array of topics. This gave the young superheroes the idea that Kylie DePriest strived to become a professional photographer. It seemed like an ordinary file, but there was something out of place when Robin scrolled to the very bottom of the document. Instead of a picture relating to something such as nature, the last file in the picture folder was a video.

The video started playing immediately after Robin double clicked on it. Kylie DePriest was sitting on a wooden bench in what seemed like the middle of the woods. She was clad in revealing undergarments that left little to the imagination, as well as a robe made of really light fabric. Kylie was talking about how once she saved up enough money, she and the person this video was made for would be able to be together. The video ended with the waitress blowing a kiss towards the camera and a series of giggles.

"Do you think that's why she was doing whatever she was? That she just wanted more money?" Raven asked her companion.

"There could have been several factors in why she did what she did, including blackmail," Robin said. "I just have the feeling that we're missing the big picture…"

"How likely would you say it is that the guy this video for was the killer?"

"It's likely, but there could be other culprits."

The two of them continued looking through the documents that they managed to retrieve. The very last one gave them a better insight on what they were facing. A slightly complicated program popped up, with several movable slides and symbolic buttons. After some messing around with the program, Robin managed to play a file. Raven and Robin simultaneously looked at each other, shocked.

They were listening to their conversation….

**-Meanwhile With Batman-**

Batman was drained, emotionally and physically. Sighing, he ripped off his cowl and plopped his body on the chair in front of the Batcomputer. For a few minutes, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and ignored the urge to sleep that his drooping eyelids provided. He could already tell that he was going to need at least three more cups of coffee before the day ended. After all, this was his fourth night without any sleep.

Blinking rapidly for a few seconds to try to clear away a small amount fatigue, Batman sat up straighter and produced the bag containing to note intended for the serial killer named Victor Zsasz. Using forceps, Batman lifted the slip of paper out of the bag and placed it on a scanner that would detect any traces of DNA, such as fingerprints. He pressed a few buttons on the machine before turning his attention onto a screen. The scanner was extracting information from the letter while the screen unraveled the information before his very own eyes.

Batman studied the computer screen, waiting for the process to be completed. Five minutes had passed before this particular test was finished. He ran a couple more tests using different machinery. The end result stunned him beyond belief, for lack of a better term.

The only trace of DNA on the piece of paper belonged to him...

* * *

><p><strong>AN – Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.**

So, I think it's safe to say that I left this chapter off at a cliffhanger. Anyway, I'm not sure about what equipment Batman owns, but I hope that the equipment I used in this chapter was believable.

The next chapter will be much longer and will include loads of action. I can promise you that. Also, the next chapter will include Kole, Solstice, and Argent. It will also contain a surprise guest that I'm sure you guys like. Can you guess who it is?

**Questions To Think About:  
><strong>Who was in the apartment?  
>What was that person's purpose in the apartment?<br>Will Xavier find out any useful information about Roxanne Lenore?  
>What is Xavier's part in this mysterious figure's plan?<br>Who are some of Xavier's clients?  
>Will Jinx's battle strategy work?<br>Will Kitten ruin Jinx's, Mammoth's, and Gizmo's mission?  
>Is Green Arrow really proud of Speedy?<br>Who was the video Kylie DePriest made directed to?  
>Did Kylie do what she did for money?<br>Will Batman's fatigue be his downfall?  
>How does the note have Batman's DNA?<p>

Thanks for reading!


	13. Shark in the Water

"I want you to double cross them," the man said, facing away from the other person in the darkened room.

"Why?" shot back the other person occupying the room, Xavier.

"You work for me, remember? Besides, the lot of them, they're amateurs."

"They may be a group of amateurs, but they avoided capture and detection for at least two months," Xavier told the man with a hint of defiance in his voice.

"They're a ticking time bomb, then; a disaster waitin' to happen."

"I heard they managed to recruit Madame Rouge. From all the stories I heard about that woman, she's a force to be reckoned with."

"That's it! They're just stories, nothin' more!"

"How could you possibly know? You spent the majority of your time in the past five years behind bars at Arkham Asylum! Besides, you give half-ass orders with no purpose behind them! What was the point behind drowning that one kid in a damn warehouse?"

The man whirled around, a feral snarl firmly fixated upon his face, highlighting his ghastly features. This man greatly resembled a shark, particularly a great white. His sharp canine-like teeth held a hint of yellow, showing the first signs of tooth decay. He possessed an abnormally fair complexion and was completely bald. The man's nose was caved inward, drawing attention to wide, flaring nostrils. One could obviously tell that something traumatizing must have happened to the man based on his deformed state. People could easily agree that this man was one of the worst people that you could possibly meet, and if you did, it was rather unfortunate that the celestial beings cursed you so.

The man standing before Xavier was the Great White Shark, a man who had been assaulted and locked into a refrigerator unit after pleading insanity and winding up in Arkham Asylum, leaving him successfully deformed.

"Listen here. You're an excellent sharpshooter, but that ain't goin' to stop me from shootin' your bloody brains out. I own the muscle in this town and I will use that power. Just because you have to potential to be as great as your predecessor doesn't mean anythin'. Hell, you even remind me of Calendar Man, save for the psychotic breakdowns. You have power, kid. But, let's not forget that I do, too."

"First off, you don't own the muscle in this damn town. Carmine Falcone does. Secondly, if you have as much power as you're insinuating, why do you hire people like me to do all your dirty work?"

The Great White Shark lunged forward, planning on wrapping his beefy hands around Xavier's throat. Agilely, the man of African descent leaped out of the way, dodging his snarling client. Quickly, Xavier charged forward, taking the deformed man by surprise. Xavier punched him in the face, easily breaking his nose. The dark skinned man watched scarlet blood trickle down his pale skin before executing a flawless uppercut that sent the Great White Shark sprawling onto the grimy floor. Swiftly, Xavier slammed the deformed man's head on the hard floor, successfully knocking him out.

Sighing, Xavier began dragging the body to his car….

**-Meanwhile With Batman-**

Batman stared at his equipment, looking defeated. The World's Greatest Detective was heavily contemplating the situation. Could this mean that somebody knew his identity? Secondly, why weren't Victor Zsasz's fingerprints on the note? He was so busy thinking (enough that would make a mere man's brain explode) that he didn't notice Alfred, his butler, enter the Batcave.

"Master Bruce, I brought you another cup of coffee. Although, I'd like to advise you to get some sleep. You look, pardon me, like you're dead on your feet."

"I can't, Alfred. Gotham needs me," the masked vigilante said, refraining himself from telling his surrogate father what had just transpired.

"What good could possibly come out of a scenario in which you die from exhaustion, Master Bruce? You would have better success if you're well rested. Or do I need to remind you about what happened with Bane a couple years ago?"

"I'm stronger now than I was then."

"That may be so, but even you have your limits."

"Everyone does, Alfred. You just have to push past them." With that, the infamous superhero brushed past his butler after ensuring all of the equipment was turned off.

"Let's not forget about hoping that a higher entity is willing to bestow good fortune on you," Alfred muttered to himself. He gave the dank cave one final glance before exiting the lower foundation of the estate, a plan already developing in his mind.

**-Meanwhile With Wonder Woman-**

"Now, the key to hand to hand combat is form. If your posture is lacking, the chances of you winning the battle are very slim, I'm afraid to say. This is why Black Canary and myself are teaching you a wide arr-" Wonder Woman stopped speaking when her communicator went off, a very familiar voice sounding in her heightened ears.

"Hello? He _what? _So you want me to help with the motions? What if doesn't want me to, though? Well, you know how stubborn he can get! He always has to have things in a certain way, including the simplest of things. Especially that! Do you honestly think the two of us will be able to satisfy his needs…? Is the lasso really necessary? Yes, of course, I understand. I'll be there in promptly ten minutes. Be ready."

Wonder Woman turned off her communicator and without sparing Black Canary a glance, she sprinted out of the room. Luckily, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. Otherwise, there would have been a strong possibility that a member of Class Titan would have been slammed into the wall quite forcefully, one might add.

Luckily for Kid Flash, his girlfriend wasn't in the room to see him practically drooling. Inappropriate thoughts about the wondrous woman raced through his hormonal mind, the fantasies very detailed. Kid Flash had always been good with imagination, after all. However, the thought of Wonder Woman using her lasso in an intimate setting was enough to drive any guy over the edge.

Black Canary voiced the thoughts of every guy in the room. "Well, that was awfully kinky. Now, who wants to play dodgeball?" After all, Wonder Woman deciding to put a hot date before her duty deserved celebration, even if it did sound slightly like pedophilia.

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

Robin pressed pause to stop the audio from playing. This was surreal. How could this woman, a mere waitress, be able to plant a recording device without his noticing? He was Batman's sidekick, for crying out loud! This revelation acted as a blow to him, a major disappointment. Spying was one thing, but managing to place a bug right in front of him took this to a whole new level.

Raven's thinking process shed some light on a different point of view and angle. "This could work to our advantage, I hope you realize."

"How can that possibly be?" Robin asked, adopting a grim expression that was remarkably similar to Batman's daily look.

"I'm not an expert at this, so there's a strong possibility that this assumption could be erroneous. However, I don't think you can buy recording devices of this caliber in just any store. Plus, this program doesn't seem very familiar, maybe even illegal. If we can find out more information about the download and the bug, we can be one step closer to solving this mystery."

"We don't even know the name of this program, which means we can't find out from what website it was downloaded from. Besides, it could have been downloaded to the laptop from a disc. As for the bug, we don't even know what it looks like, so it would be impossible to find out where it was purchased."

"You're awfully pessimistic," Raven commented.

Robin studied her appearance for a minute or so before saying, "Well then, what are you proposing?"

"I'm simply suggesting that we go back in the apartment and do a thorough sweep of the place."

"We'll get caught for sure, Rae. It was a close call, remember?"

"I never took you for one that's afraid of a little risk," Raven said with a smirk playing at her lips.

"You forgot. I live for the thrill, remember?"

"Well, you're just going to have to prove it," Raven said with a challenging tone to her voice.

"You're on," Robin said, his voice pitched low.

**-Meanwhile With Roxanne Lenore-**

Roxanne Lenore impatiently tapped her foot, trying her best to ignore the overwhelming and suffocating feeling of her fear of claustrophobia that was overpowering her. Her initial fear of enclosed spaces began when she was a little girl, on her sixth birthday. Roxanne had been waiting in the lobby of her mom's work, LuthorCorp, with her dad, for the two of them were planning on celebrating their precious little girl's birthday by taking her out for lunch and later seeing a movie. It was supposed to be a special day, considering the fact that the married couple hardly got time off from work. Unfortunately, a freak accident took place that day. Roxanne's mother had just entered the elevator from one of the highest floors in the building when a cord snapped, sending the elevator plummeting down at high speed. Upon impact with the bottom of the elevator track, the loyal employee's body was severely battered and bloody, obviously devoid of life. The sight that greeted Roxanne's eyes once they managed to open the elevator reclaim the body was traumatizing. Twenty years later, it still gave her nightmares.

Roxanne partially blamed her unappealing personality on this accident. She didn't want to get hurt anymore in life, so she hid her and true self behind a mask, a façade. Of course, this didn't actually start until Roxanne was old enough to fully understand what happened, once she completely understood why strangers were sending her family their condolences. Then, she started acting like she had a horrid personality, willing to be alone rather than hurt, for being alone was going to dish out less hurt than losing a loved one.

Roxanne let out a sigh of relief when the elevator finally touched down onto the ground level. She had just been visiting her father at his hotel in Gotham City since he wished to discuss her monetary situation. Roxanne's father was a well-known district attorney in Metropolis and personally knew the Luthors, as did her mother. Even though Roxanne wished that her meetings with her father ceased, she visited him annually when he took the time out of his busy schedule and came to Gotham. Of course, the main reason was that he provided the majority of her income. Sure, he wasn't nearly as rich as the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, but he was fairly rich.

The district attorney's daughter stepped out of the elevator, firmly placing her sunglasses over her blue eyes, and ignoring the bellhop that was staring at her ass. Xavier would probably make some half-ass joke by saying how the bellman obviously liked it doggy style, referring to her slight resemblance to a basset hound. He was _such _an ass.

Roxanne walked for half an hour, finally stopping in a secluded park-like area. One reason why she liked this place was that it was peaceful. Plus, the scenery was beautiful and she didn't have to worry about anyone intruding on her placidity. After seating herself down on a wooden bench, she rummaged through her purse, searching for a slip of paper that contained a phone number. Once she managed to find it among the clutter, she took her phone out of her pocket and dialed the important number.

A woman answered the phone. "This is the Daily Planet. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to talk to a reporter by the name of Lois Lane," Roxanne cordially said.

"Name, please?"

"Roxanne Lenore."

"One moment, please."

Roxanne sighed, waiting for a response on the other line. Suddenly, she was lifted off the bench and was thrown forcefully against the fence. The phone went flying out of her grasp, skidding in the opposite direction. Roxanne let out a blood-curling scream, hoping to notify anybody, even her opinionated father.

"Don't even waste your breath. Nobody is going to hear you," a man said, hunched and looking deadly. Roxanne squinted, her vision fighting against the blazing sunlight. Her inspection enabled her to know that her attacker was Xavier.

"You don't know what you're doing," she said, trying to sound reasonable.

"This is what I do for a living," Xavier said. "My employer wants you dead, so you're going to die. It's as simple as that."

"Xavier—" Roxanne started, but only to be cut off.

"Don't call me that!" Xavier snapped. "The name's now Tally Man."

"Be as that may, I'm sure we can settle this matter peacefully. After all, it's not that black and white."

"Of course it is! It's death! Whether you live or not is set in stone! All one has to do is move a few muscles and pull the trigger."

"Well, some people have the nasty habit of surviving from a bullet or two."

"You know, I'm surprised that your smart mouth hasn't got you into trouble yet. That's about to change right now, though."

The Tally Man II took a few steps forward, a double-barreled handgun glinting in the sunlight. Roxanne watched with wide eyes. She was going to die. That much was clear. However, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She timed her move before swinging out her left leg, sending the man sprawling down onto the immaculately cut blades of grass. Quickly, Roxanne stood up, and in order to give herself a head start, she sent a swift kick to his crotch.

Roxanne started running, as fast as her legs could carry her (after ditching the heels, of course). She didn't bother retrieving the cell phone since that would surely waste valuable time. Glancing over her shoulder told her that Xavier was catching up, making his way through the throng of people with a speed that exceeded her own. With a destination in mind, she hurried once more, ducking while putting her plan in action. She quickly tied her hair up into a ponytail and gave her jacket to an old man in exchange for his fisherman hat. Knowing that the disguise wouldn't work, Roxanne quickened her pace, heading for her father's hotel. Following tradition, Mr. Lenore had given her a spare keycard to his room, although she had never dreamed of using one before. Another glance behind her showed that Xavier was only five feet away from where she was standing. So, for once in her life, she took a risk.

She stepped in front of a moving car. The car swerved out of her way amid panicked screams as the car nearly pummeled them. Thankful for the disastrous distraction, Roxanne sprinted across the street, jumped a person's fence, and continued to make her way to the hotel.

Within a couple of minutes, Roxanne was in the hotel lobby. She made her way to the off-limits stairwell, but noticed that the bellhop that had been eyeing her earlier was intently watching her. After sending him a knee-trembling, flirty smile, Roxanne ducked into the room and began climbing the stairs. Fortunately, the workers that were fixing a problem in the area were nowhere to be found. She repeatedly checked the signs by the different doors to see what floor she was at. Her father's room was on the thirteenth floor, giving him a perfect view of the skylines. With sweat trickling down her olive skin, she sighed when she reached her destination without getting caught.

Roxanne quietly walked past the rooms, heading for the end of the hallway. Just when she started relaxing and thinking she was safe, she was suddenly grabbed from behind just when she was passing the elevator. She tried screaming, but a hand was firmly clasped over her mouth, preventing any alarming sounds from escaping her mouth. Her captor threw her against the wall of the open elevator.

"Try anything and the elevator drops," a low, dangerous sounded in her ear. "That's right, I know all about your little fear of elevators."

"What do you want from me?" Roxanne whimpered, internally panicking.

"Your blood," was the last thing she heard before falling into an empty void of darkness…

**-Meanwhile At Wayne Manor-**

Alfred winced when he heard something (most likely valuable) smash upstairs. Apparently, his ward was trying to prove a point by undergoing what Alfred liked to call a temper tantrum. He sighed. It was truly miraculous how he, an elderly butler, hasn't lost his mind yet due to the ornery that Bruce Wayne emitted, almost ludicrous, even.

As soon as a knock sounded on the door, Alfred rushed over to greet his visitor. He ushered her inside the elegant hall and neatly hung her coat on a stand.

"Thank you, Alfred," Diana, Princess of Themyscira, said, a genuine smile gracing her beautiful features.

"You're certainly welcome, Miss Diana," Alfred responded, leading her up the many stairs in the manor.

Diana sighed. "Alfred, how many times do I have to tell you? You just have to call me Diana."

"Old habits die hard," was the butler's response.

A few more minutes elapsed in a comfortable silence between the two adults. Soon enough, they quietly stopped in front of a closed door that happened to lead to the master bedroom. Alfred handed her a syringe that contained the right amount of a sedative. She slipped it into her back pocket where she could easily access it. Then, Wonder Woman gently rapped on the door three times.

"Alfred, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm fine," a gruff voice said.

"It's me," Diana said.

Bruce sighed. "Come on in."

Diana complied, but not before sending a sharp look at Alfred that told him to wait outside the room. "How are you feeling, Bruce?"

"Alfred put you up to this," Bruce said, cutting to the chase.

"What do you mean?" Diana asked, trying her best to look confused.

"He's concerned about my health because I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately."

"You haven't been sleeping at all, Bruce? Everybody needs sleep in order to function."

"Diana, don't play stupid with me. You shouldn't even be here. You're supposed to be teaching."

"Dinah gave me the day off and I wanted to spend my day with you."

"Dinah hates teaching. She would never do it alone."

Diana placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Are you trying to say you don't want to be here?"

"I never said that, Diana. You're taking everything out of context." It was obvious that Bruce was starting to get annoyed with all the coddling.

"Is it really that hard to believe that I just want to stay here and spend time with you without having an ulterior motive?"

"Yes," he flatly said.

"Bruce, if I didn't know better, I would say that you weren't cuddled very much as a child. However, I do know better since every single story about your parents conveys their kindness, determination, love, and will. They would never go a day without giving their handsome son a hug."

"I wish you could have met them. They were truly amazing people." Diana had managed to evoke a sentimental feeling within him.

"Of course they were. After all, they had you. However, if it wasn't for their passing, I would have never met you."

"Maybe things would be better for you if that's what happened," Bruce said softly.

"Don't even say that, Bruce. I wouldn't have it any other way."

With that, the Princess of the Amazons kissed the Dark Knight. Bruce automatically wrapped his arms around her small waist, pulling her closer as she encircled her arms around his neck. She loved spending time with Bruce, even when he was brooding. He helped her adjust to Man's World, which is something she appreciates, even to this day. Naturally, she was getting caught up in the moment, cherishing the moment. A small moan escaped her lips when he deepened the kiss. Their tongues were participating in a sort of battle, or rather, a fiery dance that elicited powerful emotions.

The billionaire's hands traveled lower, resting on the princess's rear end. A red alert started ringing in the back of his mind when he felt something poking out of her pocket. Quickly, the World's Greatest Detective pulled it out. When he saw clear liquid within the confines of the syringe, he immediately pushed away from the Amazon.

"Why am I not surprised?" Bruce said, his face perfectly emotionless.

"Bruce, we're just worried about you. We don't want you to hurt yourself in the heat of the moment due to your fatigue."

"I'm not weak, Diana! I've survived through much worse than fulfilling my daily sleep quota."

"You're not like Clark, Bruce! As you're aging, you need your rest."

"I guess that's part of the problem, then, isn't it? I'm a mere mortal and you're an immortal princess. You'll have to watch me grow old and eventually put up the suit and cowl while you remain eternally young. The exact same thing will happen between Lois and Clark. A decade or two from now, it's likely that you and Clark will end up together."

"Bruce, don't think like this. My relationship with Kal-El is the epitome of a sibling relationship. _You _are the man I love. While my immortality does create a small obstacle, why can't we just cherish every moment spent together?"

"This aging ordeal is _not _a small obstacle, Diana! I can't bear the thought of watching you remain young and beautiful while I'm withering away! Besides, maybe your immortality is an indication on why we were never meant to be. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to in which I discuss some important matters with Warden Sharp at the asylum." Bruce pushed past the Amazon, heading for the door while still holding onto the syringe.

"You're not going anywhere." Wonder Woman gritted her teeth and quickly swung her lasso around the billionaire's ankles. This successfully made him trip and sent the syringe flying out of his grasp. "Alfred!" Diana called as she pulled the thrashing Bruce towards her.

Alfred immediately entered Bruce's bedroom and was startled nonetheless by the sight that greeted his eyes. It was truly amazing that Bruce was putting up such a fight due to the Amazonian Princess's unbridled strength. When he was within her reach, he swiftly swung his bound legs out, managing to knock the superheroine down to the ground. This gave him time to quickly remove the lasso from his limbs.

"Alfred! Get the syringe," Diana choked out, jutting her chin in its general direction. The butler automatically complied with the order of retrieving the sedative.

Diana leapt to her feet and lunged forward to tackle the escaping billionaire. Bruce did a kind of twirl where he jumped in order to avoid collision with her. Even though one might say he looked incredibly stupid doing so, it prevented him from getting captured by the determined Amazon. Unfortunately, when Diana's body made impact with the floor, she made a mad grab for Bruce's ankle, tripping him once more. Princess Diana of Themyscira rolled over and pinned him down with her legs firmly wrapped around his torso. Despite that, Bruce struggled and surprisingly flipped them around by gaining leverage by preventing her from using her wrists. They grappled around some more, trying to gain the upper hand.

"Bruce, stop it! I don't want to hurt you!" Diana cried, applying a little more pressure than she should have to his biceps.

"You're not!" Bruce yelled. "Let's wound the clocks back some, shall we? If you were still on Themyscira and intruders invaded your island, would you rest until they were gone?"

"That's different!"

"Miss Diana! Catch!" Alfred yelled, throwing the syringe to Diana when she managed to get on top of Bruce once more.

Diana caught the medical device with one hand while pinning Bruce down by his shoulder with her other hand. Once the syringe was in her grasp, she immediately let go of his shoulder and carefully aimed the widget with both of her hands. He grabbed her wrists and pushed back, trying his best to prevent her from making the sedative enter his system. Sighing, the princess applied some more strength and managed to slide the tip of the syringe into his arm. She quickly held down the thing that would make the liquid enter his body. As soon as the last drop disappeared within the syringe's confinements, she removed all of her weight off of his body. Unsurprisingly, he tried to fight off the effects of the drug that was supposed to make the intended drowsy.

Diana quietly watched Bruce stumble towards the door. There were two thoughts coursing throughout her mind. One thought said that there was no way Bruce could get very far considering the amount of the sedative that was given to him combined with his own weariness. The other thought insisted that Bruce's will and determination would overpower the want to fall asleep. After all, one could never underestimate the Batman. She got her answer when Bruce suddenly collapsed near the doorway. However, she assumed that that was Alfred's doing considering the fact that he was standing beside his surrogate son.

"Is he okay?" Diana asked, slowly standing up.

"He will be," Alfred said. "I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience, though, Miss Diana."

Diana didn't bother with correcting him. "It's fine, Alfred, really."

"I'll watch over him and inform you when he wakes up."

"Thank you, Alfred. I really appreciate it."

"Next time, however, may I just advise not to be… ah, so vocal with your escapades."

A rosy blush quickly spread across the princess's face. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a small moan after all…. That thought quickly vanished, though. _'If there is a next time,'_ she thought solemnly.

**-Meanwhile At The Daily Planet-**

Lois Lane was flustered, for lack of a better term. Here she was, sitting at her desk when someone from a lower level in the building transferred a call to her. She took the call and was greeted with an ear-shattering scream just as the other line was beginning to break up, sporadic static pounding in her eardrums. Despite the terrible quality, she managed to hear this man threaten the woman, mentioning how death is black and white. Soon enough, the line went dead.

Lois casually looked around the place, putting on her experienced poker face. It would be best not to arouse suspicion among her fellow workers. She wheeled around in her office chair and frantically typed away at the keyboard. With hardly any time elapsing, she found out who Roxanne Lenore was. Sure, the amount of research she uncovered wasn't as much as her cousin, Chloe Sullivan, would receive, but at least her goal didn't fail. She quickly scanned the limited material, discovering that the woman was at the scene the day her mother died and that she lived in Gotham City. Nonchalantly, Lois made her way to the roof of the building, hoping to avoid any confrontation with her peers.

Once she was away from the several people roaming around busily at the Daily Planet, she flipped out her phone and immediately called Bruce. After all, it was his city to protect. Strangely, he didn't pick up. The famous reporter checked the time, noting that it was too late for a board meeting at Wayne Enterprises. Besides, he usually answered her calls, knowing that something must have happened since she tended to avoid seeing him.

With curiosity burning through her, the reporter called the love of her life, Clark Kent, who was secretly Superman. He answered on the very last ring. "Hey, Lois! Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I am at work, but something happened…. "

"The Planet didn't explode, did it?"

"'Course not. Although, a woman did call me…. She screamed, Clark. This man was threatening her, just before the line went dead."

Clark quickly went on the alert. "What was her name, Lois?"

"The lady that transferred the call to me said her name was Roxanne Lenore. I did a little research and found out that she lives in Gotham City," she said.

"Did you call Bruce?"

"I called him right before I called you. He didn't answer, so I naturally called you. Is he away on some important mission or something to show off how badass he really is?"

"No, he isn't. As far as I'm aware of, anyway…." Clark trailed off, pondering about what could possibly be going on.

"Well, do you think you can take some time off at that special academy of yours and come to help me get to the bottom of this? I was planning on tracking the area of the cell phone in order to get a general idea of where this Lenore woman could be. I would ask Chloe, but she's in Moscow for that one story she's working on. So, you're my best bet in figuring all of this out."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted," Clark joked.

"Just get your ass down here, Smallville," Lois told her boyfriend before hanging up.

**-Later That Day In The Class Titan Tower-**

"So, what should we do tonight?" Speedy asked, sitting down with his arm extended over the length of the couch.

Starfire exclaimed, "Eeek! My friends, we should all hogie a morflark! Or, perhaps, participate in the cooking of a stewed grunthmek!"

"Uh, Star, as nice as that sounds," Kid Flash said as he nonchalantly cringed, "we honestly don't feel like cooking or messing with flarkymorsh."

"Morflark," the alien automatically corrected the speedster.

"Yeah, that," Kid Flash agreed in order not to dwell on the topic.

"Why don't we have a dance party or something?" Bumblebee suggested, for lack of anything better to do.

"Does that include the three of you pretty girls pleasing us?" Aqualad asked. Apparently, he's been spending too much time with Kid Flash.

"Only in your wet dreams," Bumblebee shot back snarkily.

"Uh, no. Please don't envision that, period," Astoria said, looking at Bumblebee as if she was nuts.

"Killjoy," Beast Boy muttered.

Before any more words could be exchanged, a couple of beeping sounds were heard, seemingly coming out of Cyborg's arm. Beast Boy gasped, fearing for his robotic buddy's life. However, their worry ceased when Cyborg tapped a few buttons and the sound finally stopped. Something that intrigued them, though, was how a tiny screen appeared, which made the group of teenagers gather around the cybernetic teen.

"Robin!" Starfire wailed when she saw his face.

"Woah!" Beast Boy shrieked shrilly when he caught a glimpse of the sleek screen.

"What?" Robin asked, his words audible through Cyborg's installed technology.

"Raven! S-s-she looks like a girl!" Beast Boy exclaimed, dumbstruck. This made everybody except Raven snicker.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Robin joked.

"Do you want me to hex off your testicles, Bird Brain?" Raven snapped. This effectively drained the color out of their faces. The guys, that is.

"I'm good," Robin choked out. Bumblebee noticed how he was leaning forward slightly now. She assumed that this was a feeble attempt to protect his manhood.

"Is there a reason you called?" Cyborg asked, wondering why the two birds hacked into his system somehow and managed to start a video feed.

"Yes, there is, actually," Robin said. "Do you think you guys could come to Jump City and drop off a pair of our uniforms?"

"According to Bird Boy over here, it's rather urgent," Raven added.

"Where are you guys, anyway?" Speedy questioned, genuinely curious.

"You don't listen, do you?" Raven spoke with a dry tone added to her usual monotone.

"Someone's PMSing," Kid Flash boldly whispered in Aqualad's ear.

"I heard that," Raven growled. Someone _obviously_ had a death wish.

"Raven, that's enough," Robin gently told the empath. Bumblebee took notice of how she automatically complied. How sweet.

"Is there any place in particular where you want us to drop off the clothes?" Cyborg asked, being the only mature person. Shocker, right?

"How about the alley by the pizza parlor?" Robin suggested.

"Sweet! Road trip!" Beast Boy shouted gleefully.

"Not all of you have to go," Raven said, dreading the upcoming meeting. Sure, they could be considered her friends, but she wasn't one for company, especially if it included Beast Boy.

"Hey! Motion sickness buddies stick together!" Aqualad indignantly said.

"Oh, great…." Raven sighed.

"What time?" Cyborg asked, with a small smile across his face.

Robin glanced at his watch. "Thirty minutes from now, our time?"

"We'll be there."

The video chat soon ended and the group of teenagers dispersed in order to get ready. Cyborg idiotically put Kid Flash and Beast Boy in charge of getting one of Raven's uniforms, while he went to retrieve one of Robin's. The two mischievous teenagers quietly crept up the stairs and entered the Azarathian's room. Kid Flash automatically made his way to her drawers while Beast Boy headed for her wardrobe. The speedster rifled through the contents of the drawer, his eyes often widening.

"Get a load of this," Kid Flash snickered. He held up a lacy, black bra for Beast Boy to see.

"Woah, woah, woah—No! Somebody like Raven can't own something like that! It's impossible!"

"We know nothing about Raven's past, right? Maybe she used to be a pole dancer or something."

"Yeah, and Cyborg's pregnant," Beast Boy snorted.

Kid Flash quietly squealed. "Who's the baby daddy?"

"You know I was being sarcastic, right? And that Cyborg is a dude?"

"Technically," Kid Flash drawled, "he's half man and half robot." He paused. "Can robots get pregnant?"

Beast Boy mumbled to himself as he continued looking through her wardrobe.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity," the speedster advised as he continued to search through her underwear drawer. Beast Boy gaped, looking like a fish out of water. How could this kid possibly give him advice when _he_ was the one with issues!

When Beast Boy returned to his daunting task of trying to find anything juicy within her wardrobe, Kid Flash took out the bra once more and with some difficulty, he managed to clasp the back. He stuffed several pairs of socks in the black bra to the point where it was about to overflow. Using his super speed, Kid Flash quickly made his way behind the green changeling. He got as close as he possibly could without alerting the green boy of his presence.

"Let's go, girls," Kid Flash whispered in Beast Boy's ear with an abnormally deep voice. Beast Boy screamed bloody murder and turned around to see Kid Flash cupping his "breast implants". When Kid Flash began to do a very dirty and insinuative version of the moonwalk, every ounce of color in Beast Boy's face disappeared. He was going to have nightmares for the rest of his life now!

Cyborg burst in the room and his jaw dropped when he saw Kid Flash doing his gyrating dance while wearing a lacy bra. How many times was this kid dropped on his head as a child? Or rather, did his mother punt him across a football field when he was an infant? Either way, Cyborg literally dragged the two goofballs out of Raven's room by their ears. Then, the cybernetic teenager went back in the empath's room and took a uniform off its hanger.

The eight members of Class Titan quickly made their way to the transportation deck, hoping for something exciting to happen….

**-Meanwhile With Roxanne Lenore-**

A thumping sound resonated in the back of Roxanne's head, adding to the pain that her aching skull provided. Her eyes didn't flutter open for fear of seeing what would lie before her. It was cruel, really, being held captive and not knowing what was in store for you. There was a possibility that her limbs would be cut off very slowly, the blood flow constantly being staunched in order to carry on with the torture. Then, before chopping off her hand, they would take a drill and break the skin on her hand by puncturing the organ with the tool. They would stab her bones without mercy and laugh with glee as she screamed in tremendous pain and for mercy. Her captors could heat up a knife to just below the melting point for the metallic element and slash at the bare skin of her lower torso. Then, they would force her to swallow her own blood by thrusting the knife into her mouth, clacking against her teeth and threatening to break the wall that the roof of her mouth provided. But, of course, she always excelled at imagery.

Before any more thoughts could course through her mind, somebody slapped her and screamed, "Wake up, bitch!"

Groaning, Roxanne finally opened her eyes and studied her surroundings. As far as she could tell, she was in a dank cellar in old of the oldest building ever built in Gotham City. The low rumbling of a chime sounding indicated that this particular building wasn't too far away from an ancient cathedral. She concluded that this house was vacant and the only reason Xavier selected it to be his current hide-out was purely because it was highly doubtful he would be hiding out in some place that was no longer being commissioned. Assuming that her cheek would soon be blazing red, she finally looked ahead of her and came face to face with the darkly skinned and mysterious Xavier.

The only reason Roxanne stayed by Xavier for an extended period of time was to study him. From their very first meeting, she could tell that there was something a little off about the man. Unfortunately, her lack of evidence against him prevented her from giving an anonymous tip to some cop or lawyer. So, she decided to check out the situation on her own. She often rifled through his papers whenever he was out of town and tried to hack through his security and encryption codes, even though it never worked. Whatever answers she could retrieve were cryptic and weren't solid evidence as it wasn't black or white, but different shades of grey. Now, it seemed like she finally had her answer.

"This isn't like you, Xavier," Roxanne said, hoping to buy herself a little more time. She was also internally praying that enough time had elapsed for night to fall so she could hopefully count on the Batman saving her ass.

"Once again, that's no longer my name. From now on, I am referred to as the Tally Man."

"Well, I can see how you lack the creativity to come up with an original name." Tally Man dug his fingernails into the bare skin on her arm, drawing blood. She now felt as if maggots were crawling on her skin. It was sickening. However, it was satisfying to watch her manage to get underneath his skin. It showed that she was getting to him.

"I would watch your tongue, if I were you," Xavier said. "After all, running commentary can lead to an even more painful death."

"Aside from the fact that you held me in a chokehold until I had no accessible oxygen and that you presumably dragged me here, why the hell am I here?" Okay, so she was totally asking for it. But, hey! It's better to die with dignity than without it, right?

"The only reason you're alive right now is simply due to the fact that you still have some usefulness in you," her captor growled, carefully studying her. She felt as if she were his prey, which, in a way, she was.

"Oh, yeah, because I'm _so_ useful when I'm tied to a chair in some filthy cellar."

Xavier walked behind her, pulling something out of his pocket as he did so. Something cold pressed against the back of Roxanne's skull. Even though she didn't see it, it didn't take a genius to figure out that it was a gun. One bullet through her skull and she was dead.

"You're not going to kill me," Roxanne said, her voice slightly quivering despite her accusation.

"There are other ways in achieving my means, you know. I wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

Roxanne gulped, her previous bravery quickly dissipating. "What do you want me to do?"

"When I untie you, I want you to call your father. Try anything funny, and I shoot you." Her captor looked deadly and she knew without a doubt that his threat would be carried out.

"I don't have my cell phone on me," she told Tally Man.

"Well, let's just hope you have his number memorized, for your sake."

"What do you want me to tell him?"

"I want you to greet him normally and ask him to get away from his security. After that is completed, you are to give me the phone. Understood?"

Xavier removed a dagger that was attached to his belt and sliced the ropes bounding Roxanne in half. She was completely and utterly aware of the gun aimed for her skull. Slowly, she took the phone that was being given to her, her fingers feeling like dead weight. Ever so slowly, she dialed the number to her father's cell and listened to the generic ringing that engulfed her eardrums, acting as the deafening gong that indicated her death. Luckily, the busy district attorney answered the phone, albeit not recognizing the number.

"Hello?" Harold Lenore greeted uncertainly.

"Hi, Daddy," Roxanne chirped back, faking a cheerful tone. How he bought it, she'll never know.

"Roxanne? Did you get a new number?" Obviously, her father was flummoxed.

"I'm using my friend's phone since mine died."

"You have friends now, kiddo? I'm proud of ya!"

Rolling her eyes, Roxanne said, "Dad, I need you to do something for me. It's _really _important."

"You know the drill, Roxanne. I need to know what the favor is before putting it into action."

"I need you to break away from your security guards or anybody with a connection to you."

"Now, why the hell would I do that?"

"Please, Dad, just do it. It's really important. Mom would want you to do it. If you won't do it for me, please do it for her," she pleaded.

Harold Lenore sighed, resigning. She waited for a few minutes, hearing obvious signs of scuffling about. Finally, the man who raised her spoke, "Okay, I'm alone. What's going on, Roxxie?" He used the nickname he had used when she was a little girl. It dredged up horrible memories.

Abruptly, the phone was snatched out of her grasp. She screamed when she was slapped once more. However, this time, it wasn't a bare hand that smacked her. Instead, sharp, pointed claws raked against her cheek, drawing a considerable amount of blood. Due to the immense stinging on the flesh of her face, it felt as if the metallic spines were coated in some kind of poison or pain-inducing drug.

"Did you hear that, Harold? That's your daughter, in some serious pain. Now, we're going to play a little game, as I like to call it. You're going to come to the old house on Benson Hill by the old cathedral. I'm sure you know what place I'm talking about. After all, you used to christen the old chapel with my ex-fiancée. If you're not here within half an hour, your daughter dies. If I hear one siren, your daughter dies. If I see anything that looks remotely like a bat, your daughter dies. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to introduce your precious 'Roxxie' to a very carnivorous pal of mine. We'll see if you can bear witness to a killer in your family, due to all your bullshit morals and all. Don't forget: the clock's a-ticking."

Xavier, also known as Tally Man II, hung up the phone. His words still lingered in the ear, making Roxanne's throat close up. Did her father really have an affair with some woman half his age, presumably an unfaithful slag? She couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, her thinking process was interrupted when Xavier tightly gripped her wrist and began pulling her forcefully with him through the house.

**-Meanwhile With Kole-**

Extraordinary things always happened to Kole, no matter how much she wished to deny it. Take this moment, for example. She had been meaning to go to her hometown, Daytona Beach, to retrieve a few belongings of hers. Unfortunately, the launching pod spazzed out and she was now stranded in the middle of nowhere, amongst thickly packed trees and plants. The sun was practically obliterated. Kole just hoped she could get back to the academy, especially since the communicator had no service in this dense forest.

Sighing, the girl that always craved for adventure as a child began lifting her legs, deciding to explore the area. She could hear animals darting around the forest, absolutely carefree and wild. Even though she was under the impression that she was aimlessly wandering around in circles, she had to admit that this place was beautiful. The nature here wasn't destroyed by farming or development. It was untouched, magical.

When Kole was a little girl, her father used to enthrall her with enchanting tales of princesses, knights, pirates, dragons, and mermaids. Each story differed from each other, containing different amounts of fantasy-like elements. The tales all had twists and happy endings. They brought hope to the little girl, allowing her to know that it was perfectly okay to be different. The fairy tales had relieved some of the pain she had felt due to the death of her mother, Gabrielle Weathers. Even though she had passed away when Kole was only a year old, nothing could replace the touch of a mother's love.

Right now, this forest was reminding Kole of what she considered her father's best tale, one he created when she was slightly older. This story involved a rebellious jester that lived in a beautiful kingdom where laughs were plentiful and smiles were utterly heartwarming.

_It was a prosperous time in the kingdom. However, there was one thing that the kingdom lacked: a permanent court jester that was easily accessible for amusement. That all changed, however, when a young jokester moved into the king's palace upon the aging man's request. Despite wearing ludicrous attire, the jester was admittedly handsome with a boyish face and roguish smile that had the strange ability to pull you right in. One could never guess that he was the estranged son of a bard that wound up in an asylum due to incessant ramblings about an ancient relic._

_One day, on a surprisingly frosty night in midsummer, the young jester was summoned from his sleeping quarters to a giant feast the king had spent ages planning. Initially, the young jester didn't know that the cause for the celebration was for the king's daughter's birthday, marking the day she would marry her betrothed one day closer. Coming as a shock to some, the jester had never once met the princess even though he lived in the elegant castle she grew up in. After all, he had spent most of his time practicing juggling in his quarters while she focused on her studies, particularly astronomy._

_The fool quietly ate during the feast, rarely glancing up. This astonished the royals in the room, for they were used to the jester's pleasing jokes throughout meals. In some kingdoms, jokers would be executed on the spot for using their tongue when not given permission, but this king was like no other, kind, gentle, and patient. He was the sole reason for the increased placidity in the region._

_Once everyone had a full belly, the king clapped with twinkling eyes. "Now, I believe it is time for everyone present to receive a wide amount of amusement from our talented jester."_

_With confidence now washing over the young man, the jester stood up, intent on amusing the people amongst him that were brimming with excitement. The jester sent a devilish smile towards the queen's advisor, before beginning a new routine he had just recently developed. He gracefully leaped about, doing extraordinary flips and acrobatic stunts. After a beautifully executed backflip, the jester began juggling with his feet, miraculously not missing any of the colorful balls. Soon enough, he finished that particular juggling task and began telling jokes that were making the king chortle merrily. Before the jester could finally complete his act by another round of juggling, he accidentally tripped over a leg on the table and started flailing about as he headed for the recently scrubbed floor. _

_Only, he didn't. _

_He blinked, staring into emerald eyes that were perfectly shaped like almonds. He realized that the princess was carefully steadying him, preventing him from falling over. The princess smiled, revealing pearly white teeth and a beautiful smile. Her skin was fair, allowing a rosy blush to highlights her features if need be. The blue gown she wore accentuated her body, from the curve of her bosom to her slim waist. Ringlets of auburn hair framed her face, cascading gracefully down her back. In all, the fool thought she was absolutely beautiful, an angel._

"_Do be careful where you tread, jester. You never know where you might land." Despite the princess's biting tone, she was smiling warmly._

_At a loss for words, the jester mutely nodded._

_And from that moment on, the jester and the princess became friends._

_Months passed and Princess Madelyn had finally met her betrothed, the man she would be forced to marry. Ignoring the fact that she was expected to spend every possible moment with her future husband, she still spent time with the reckless jester. He would often nimbly sneak into her room in the late hours of the night and they would spend time studying the stars with her charts and telescope. The princess didn't want to marry her betrothed. He had pasty skin, a hooked nose, and a sneer that could send shivers down your spine. Her betrothed was too serious, organized. She longed for adventure._

_Her heart yearned for the court jester._

_At precisely midnight, the bell tower clock chimed, low and rhythmic. The prized jester and the elegant princess met in the queen's garden on the east side of the palace. Upon seeing him, Princess Madelyn flung herself at the jokester, hugging him tightly as the jester's arms automatically snaked around her slim waist. They spent an unknown amount of time in that embrace, cherishing each other's company._

"_I missed you," she told him once they let go of each other._

_Unlike their first meeting, the confident man wasn't tongue-tied. "As did I. How did you escape your quarters this time?"_

_Princess Madelyn gave him a wry smile. "I have my ways, jester."_

"_And I have my ways of finding out that important piece of information, princess."_

_She laughed. "I told the guard that my father called for an important meeting in his study."_

"_He didn't escort you?"_

"_I told him that it was family business. Naturally, he let me go, not wanting to face the wrath of the king. Now, tell me, how did you succeed in leaving your sleeping quarters?"_

_The jester grinned. "I scaled the side of the building." This made Princess Madelyn gasp. "It really wasn't that difficult. There was this vine conveniently growing beside my window. It also helped that there were several bricks sticking out."_

"_You could have died!" she exclaimed._

"_I wanted to see you," he simply told her._

_The princess remained quiet for a few minutes, shifting through her jumbled thoughts. Soon enough, she shocked him by saying, "Let's run away together."_

"_Pardon me?"_

"_I love you. You're not like any boy I have ever met before. With you, I taste adventure, recklessness, and action. With Victor, I feel none of that. I don't want to marry him in a week's time. You're the one I want, jester. Now, the question is, do you love me?"_

"_How could I not? You're like an angel sent from the heavens. Anybody is fortunate enough to be graced with your presence. Every moment spent with you has been utterly amazing."_

_In response to the jokester's little speech, the princess wrapped her arms around the jester's neck and kissed him. The jester reciprocated her movements, overwhelmed by the emotions that were washing over him like a wave being pushed forward by a great wind._

_A few feet away from the young adults stood Victor, Princess Madelyn's betrothed. Jealousy brimmed throughout his body, sending him over the brink of anger. From the very moment he laid eyes on the poorly clothed jester, Victor hated him with a burning passion. Something about him ignited a buried feeling in the pit of his stomach, awakening an unwelcome memory. Swiftly, the tall and dark man turned around and hurried to the king's quarters with an unbridled purpose to his step._

"_Your Highness, pardon me for the disturbance, but I just saw the court jester trying to take advantage of your daughter. She kept refusing, but he was relentless."_

"_Nonsense. My daughter is marrying you, not the court jester! Besides, he surely knows that he will be executed if he dared touch my precious girl."_

"_Sire, I know what I saw."_

_Wearily, the king summoned his guards to find the jester so he could be questioned._

_Only, they found him a little too late._

"_They're coming for me," the jester told the princess, intently listening to the aroused guards._

"_But, why?" she asked, her voice a quiet whisper._

"_Someone must have seen us together. As much as I loathe it, they were right to do so. Listen to me, I want the best for you, which is something I can't give you. You deserve so much more than a crackpot fool like myself."_

"_Don't talk like that," she cried, not wanting him to leave her side._

"_Here, have this," he said, handing her a small juggling ball that was a beautiful sapphire in color, the color of the gown she had worn on her birthday, "as a token of my memory."_

The rest of the story proceeded with the jester escaping the kingdom on a descendant of the dragons, a dracoralith. A dracoralith was an omnivorous reptile that loved rum and was puissant due to its speed, agility, and strength. The creature had acute hearing, sharp claws, and had an arrow-like head. Its scales were black and silver with the ability to glisten in the sunlight. The alcohol it consumed allowed it to breathe fire, although not nearly as much as a dragon. Despite looking ferocious, the dracoralith had a caring heart, although it could easily attack somebody if provoked or if the situation called for it.

The jester decided to look for the ancient relic his father talked about, located in the Enchanted Forest, a myriad of leagues away from the beautiful kingdom. On his way to the densely packed forest, the jokester encountered a village inhabited by giants and flesh-eating maggots in an ancient library. The jester suffered from a lethal wound from a maggot, and managed to find a shimmering spring, where his wounds heal. Unfortunately, a siren resided in the spring and made the jester see images of his beloved princess, causing him to become insane for a short period of time before almost drowning. Luckily, he is saved by a cursed wood nymph, who administers some herbs to the court jester to help heal his fragile mind. The two of them embark on the continued journey, coming across a tower. The resident of the tower offers them a pie, and the jester manages to figure out that the host was a witch when he caught a glimpse of her in a mirror. Luckily, the dracoralith saves the two companions after catching fire to the building at the last possible moment. They soon reached the Enchanted Forest, and find the ancient relic that was supposed to amplify one's qualities and strength, as well as remove all inhibitions. However, what they didn't know was that it did absolutely nothing other than make the bearer think it granted them mystical powers. The two friends rushed back to the palace, where the jester is caught by a sentry scaling the walls on his way to the princess's bedroom. An elite guard chases him, the jester winds up getting arrested, and is scheduled to be executed a day before the postponed wedding. Like all fairy tales, this one had a happy ending.

It ended with the fool and the angel falling in love and marrying on a hillside in the middle of spring at sunset.

Kole smiled at the memory of the story. Her father's tales made her crave adventure as a little girl, which was how she could relate to Princess Madelyn. While she had been reminiscing about her favorite childhood story, she had continued to walk. Unfortunately, she still had no idea where she was. Fortunately, she wasn't walking in circles since she was standing in front of giant lake with crystal clear water, just like the bodies of water in the Enchanted Forest.

The pink-haired teenager looked up, finding something that looked a little odd. Without even consciously thinking about it, her legs started carrying her over towards the object that was partially submerged in water. Upon closer inspection, she saw what it was.

It was the body of a man frozen in a large chunk of ice.

**-Meanwhile With Class Titan-**

"You stink," Beast Boy told Kid Flash, wrinkling his nose.

"I do not! I smell like angelic babies sliding down a rainbow!" Kid Flash protested.

"You know," Speedy mused, "I bet those 'angelic' babies are going to grow up being the type of people that burn down Christmas trees…."

"Shut up," Cyborg snapped. They needed to be conspicuous, which was already difficult enough since they were still wearing their uniforms.

"Hey!" Kid Flash defensively lifted his hands. "If anybody needs to be blamed, blame Speedy for being a downer."

"Go ahead and blame me for wanting to drown you," Astoria muttered, sounding like Raven.

"She's channeling Raven! We're closer to finding them!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

The group of teenagers walked for a couple more minutes before stopping in the alley by the pizza parlor. They could see the beginning signs of the setting sun. Luckily, nobody was watching them enter the alley. Otherwise, they would probably be thinking that the teenagers were about to have an eight-some or something. The sick-minded people these days….

"You're late," Robin said flatly, leaning against a dumpster and standing beside the obviously grossed Raven.

"We came, didn't we?" Cyborg said, throwing the two teenagers the plastic bag that contained their superhero attire.

"Yeah, thanks," Robin said.

Robin pulled off his shirt, revealing his perfectly sculpted abs. Unknowingly, Raven was staring at the Boy Wonder. Subconsciously, she licked her lips. Fortunately, nobody saw her examining Robin since a little boy shouted, "Look, Mommy! It's a group of teens about to have an orgy!" The mother ushered the child away, not even sparing a glance in the dank alleyway. The group of friends, minus Starfire and Raven, began laughing.

"I never would have guessed that a stripping Boy Wonder would be the sign for sexual interactions," Astoria remarked, clutching her side.

"Shut up," Robin muttered.

Raven quickly teleported Robin and herself to their hotel room, where they finished changing into their costumes. Then, she teleported them back to the side of the pizza parlor building, where their friends were still waiting.

"You can go back, you know," Robin told them, checking to make sure his utility was full once again.

"We want to help," Aqualad said seriously.

Before Robin or Raven could respond, screams and honking horns pounded against their delicate eardrums. Alert, the group of teenagers raced out of the alley and checked to see what happened. Several cars were veering off course, out of control. People were screaming, trying to sprint to safety. Oh, and let's not forget the biggest thing that stood out: there were hundreds of mutant moth creatures flying about, wreaking havoc.

Kid Flash set off, helping poor civilians into buildings for protection against the bio-engineered creatures. Aqualad tried eliminating some of them by making water shoot out of a fire hydrant. The only effect it had was irritating the animals further. Using his strength, Cyborg prevented some car accidents, while occasionally sending a blast from his sonic cannon at a mutant

Suddenly, the ground shook, making the teenagers fall down to their knees as the ground caved in somewhat. Pink energy shot forward, rocketing Beast Boy forward into a lamp post. Mechanical spiders trickled out onto the road where the members of Class Titan were, snapping and pulling at their feet with razor sharp claws.

Looking up, they saw a group of four people at around their age standing there. The largest of the group was cracking his knuckles, looking intimidating. Beside him, the shortest of the group was laughing like a mad scientist, gripping tightly onto a controller. Both of them have been seen before by some of the members in Class Titan, although they had managed to get to the one named Gizmo was a pink-haired girl, different from the one they had fought previously. She was grinning wickedly, as if she knew something they didn't. Next to her was somebody they all recognized… Kitten.

"Surprised, snot-brains?" Gizmo spat.

"Not at all," Beast Boy yelled. "We're going to kick your butts!"

"Bring it," the pink-haired girl challenged before exclaiming, "Attack Pattern Alpha!"

Mammoth lunged forward, his fist firmly clenched, preparing for a punch that would hurt… a lot. Starfire, Bumblebee, and Cyborg intercepted it, giving the other teenagers time to get out of the way and avoid being crushed. Several starbolts left Starfire's hands, hitting the giant squarely in the chest. Cyborg provided even more pressure by continuously sending blasts from his sonic cannon at the giant. They were pleased to see that Mammoth was retreating ever so slightly.

Astoria headed straight for the girl with pink hair. As she neared the girl, she envisioned a particular scene from a horror film that prevented her from getting a decent amount of sleep when she was younger. A small smirk crossed her face when she saw the witchy girl wince. When Astoria was closer to the girl, she gasped, her train of concentration breaking.

"Jennifer," Astoria uttered, shocked.

The girl named Jennifer examined Astoria for a few moments, realization dawning on her. "Astoria Lacroix, what a lovely surprise. The name is now Jinx."

Jinx was Jennifer Faust, the girl that had blown a laboratory when she was in seventh grade. She was the girl that had killed a boy that was annoying her. She was the girl that Astoria was telling Raven about the day they participated in the tests to attend the academy.

"How fitting," Astoria grunted, avoiding a pink blast of energy. Apparently, somebody hadn't died and had gained control of her powers.

Meanwhile, Robin was swiftly avoiding the gadgets that Gizmo was throwing at him, taller from his mechanical spider-like legs. After avoiding a metallic widget, Robin quickly removed something from a pouch in his utility belt, throwing it at Gizmo as he was running. Gizmo laughed when it missed entirely, causing Robin to smirk. Gizmo's smile faltered as he ended up sprawled on the sidewalk. Beast Boy, transformed into a lion, was sitting on Gizmo's back, breaking the several wires attached to Gizmo's technology with the lion's sharp teeth. Apparently, the failed birdarang was a mere distraction, not even supposed to turn around in the opposite direction.

Farther along the street, Raven was fighting Kitten, who was conveniently still pissed. Unfortunately, she had two guns that she had no problem using. Trying her best to ignore the blaring sounds the guns gave off to indicate that the trigger was pulled, Raven kept putting up shields to avoid being injured by the weapons. Soon enough, Kitten would run out of bullets and Raven could successfully take her down. Although, she was pretty sure that she should have invested in a silencer first….

"You ruined my life!" Kitten shrieked, throwing the guns down on the ground.

"I didn't do anything to you, Kitten! Besides, if you were a true hero, you wouldn't be drowning in self-pity by _attempting_ to be a villain."

"You don't know _shit!"_ Kitten hissed, throwing a punch at Raven's face. Raven dodged it by gripping firmly onto Kitten's wrist, slowly turning it. Kitten cried out in pain, feeling the bone that was threatening to snap if more pressure was applied.

Luckily, Raven pitied the blonde and let go of her small wrist. Instead, she opted for a deft kick to the girl's knee, causing her to drop to the ground. Before she could cleanly knock the blonde out, someone appeared by her side, holding onto a retractable bo staff. Raven realized that the person was Robin, causing her to sigh with annoyance when he deftly hit Kitten in the abdomen. The teenage female gasped as the wind was knocked out of her before falling into unconsciousness.

"That was completely unnecessary," Raven huffed.

"Don't worry; you can thank me later," Robin said, smirking, before sprinting over to where the others were.

Rolling her eyes, Raven phased into the concrete, reappearing next to Starfire, who avoided a collision with a large slab of concrete. Raven automatically wrapped an abandoned car in her aura and dropped it on Mammoth's head. Unfortunately, the large teenager wasn't knocked out.

Kid Flash was sprinting around the scene, checking to make sure that there weren't any injured civilians. When he was satisfied with his results, he signaled to Speedy, who had scaled the side of a brick building and was standing on a window ledge. When Speedy saw the signal, he immediately took out a specially designed arrow from his quiver and carefully aimed it. He released the arrow and watched as it soared across the sky, heading for its intended target.

Meanwhile, Aqualad was now fighting a newcomer on the ground. He had introduced himself as Fang, which Aqualad thought was actually fitting, despite not having fangs like vampires or cobras. Aqualad ducked behind a deserted car, avoiding coming in contact with some kind of web. He had a feeling that it wasn't just pure silk, but something completely terrible. Concentrating, Aqualad peeked, watching as water engulfed Fang, making him gag unattractively. Slowly, he approached the still body. Luckily, it wasn't a ruse and Fang was actually unconscious. Aqualad assumed that spiders must really hate swimming.

Astoria hissed in pain as a pink bolt shocked her. It felt as if her skin was burning, like some parasites were greedily attacking her sweet flesh, sucking on her blood while poisoning it.

"What happened to you, Jennifer?" Astoria questioned, ducking in order to avoid another encounter with one of the villainess's hexes.

"Shit happens," was Jinx's response.

"I can certainly see that," Astoria grumbled under her breath.

"I guess I ought to give you props, though. Nobody mistook _you _for a freak."

"Jinx, having powers doesn't make you a freak. With it, you can do so many extraordinary things that _help_ other people."

"You saw what happened in that science lab. My calling longs for destruction, not butterflies and rainbows," Jinx sneered.

"It's _your_ destiny, Jennifer. _You _get to choose what path _you _want to walk on."

"That's the silver lining now, isn't it? You will never understand."

Instead of replying, Astoria took advantage of the pink-haired girl's distraction. She envisioned that fateful day in seventh grade when Jennifer Faust ran away. The illusionist skillfully shed some light on every detail, enhancing the situation incredibly. This was one of Jinx's weaknesses. Talking to her while they were fighting made Astoria realize that. So, she used that terrible day against her. She hardly noticed Jinx drop to her knees, tightly covering her ears with her hands as if that would get rid of the images. Astoria ended the illusion by revealing how she wanted and tried to help the troubled girl. Once the illusion ceased, Astoria yanked the sly teenager along the road by her hair, preventing her from escaping.

"Beast Boy!" Cyborg yelled, dodging a series of debris.

Understanding, Beast Boy morphed into an eagle, and using his talons, grabbed hold of the robotic teenager. Beast Boy flew straight for Mammoth's face with awe-inspiring speed. At the last possible moment of avoiding collision, Beast Boy let go of Cyborg and circled around before clawing at Mammoth's eyes. Meanwhile, Cyborg was obstinately latched onto the giant and fired a shot from his cannon before punching him, using all his strength. He was pleased to see the giant falter, falling backwards. Thankfully, Starfire flew up into the air and gently set Cyborg on the ground.

Unfortunately, there were still the mutant moth creatures to deal with. Only, they were gone... It was as if they had been obliterated. The group of teenagers looked up to see Speedy sliding down a drainage pipe.

"That was awesome!" Kid Flash praised the archer.

"What did you do?" Cyborg asked, for he hadn't seen what had happened and why the moth creatures were suddenly gone.

Speedy grinned. "Well, as I did a somersault in order to avoid Mammoth's wrath, I noticed that there was this small device plastered on the side of the building by the pizza parlor. I figured that it wasn't coincidence that it was there, so I scaled the building opposite of it and sent an arrow rocketing towards it. It must have been some type of system that controlled the creatures. As soon as it was destroyed, they headed for the hills."

"You should have seen how small it was, though! It was tinier than the fingernail on my pinkie! He hit the target when he was all the way on the opposite side of the street! Talk about impressive!"

Before any more words could be exchanged among the teenagers, a reporter ran up to them, carrying a microphone. Behind her was a camera crew, looking dazzled. "That was absolutely incredible! I haven't seen anything as impressive that in quite some time. What are your names?" the reporter gushed, craving for some juicy information to help write a great article.

Robin glanced at his companions. They were truly great people and he was grateful to have the opportunity to work with them. Looking back at the young reporter, he said, "We're the Teen Titans."

* * *

><p><strong>AN –** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

Okay, I know I said that Solstice and Argent would be in this chapter, but I came up with some more ideas that made this chapter way longer than I had anticipated. Besides, the timeline of what happens with them is better suited for the next chapter. So, they'll be in that chapter, which would probably average at five thousand words. That's just a guess, though. Secondly, in my story, I'm envisioning Kole as a dreamer that loves adventure and action. That was the first thing that came to my mind when I did research on her powers. The little fairy tale I came up with will most likely play a role in her character development, which is why I included it. If you want me to actually finish the story with more details about the rest of the adventure, let me know and I'll try to make an account to and upload it. Also, Roxanne Lenore really isn't going to have a larger in this story. The next chapter will probably be her last appearance.

Story time: The kid that made that inappropriate remark when he saw Robin take off his shirt was actually inspired by something that happened to me. You see, when I was younger, like seven years old, my sister and I used to be best friends. We were shopping at this one store with my mom and my sister made me read what this one shirt said. The shirt had the word "bitch" on it, so I said it, not even realizing that it was a bad word. This couple was nearby, and the girlfriend heard it, and I guess she thought he said it. So, she slapped him…. True story, guys.

Luckily for you guys, there's only one more week of school left for me, and it's not even a full week. That means I'll have more time to work on this story because of summer. Hopefully, it'll be completed soon, even though we have quite a ways to go. Also, I'll start revising this story a little bit soon. If you really care, you should check that out, even though the changes aren't going to be anything major.

Lastly, I made a video on Youtube in regards to this fanfic. It's kind of like a trailer for it. Even though it's pretty long for a trailer, it would be awesome if you guys watched it and tell me what you think. I know it's not the best, but I actually thought it was decent.  
>watch?v=Bmu-ZGQ0r_E<p>

**Questions To Think About:**  
>Was Madame Rouge really recruited into the society Xavier was talking about?<br>Why did the Great White Shark want to try to kill Speedy?  
>What did Xavier do with the Great White Shark's body?<br>Does somebody know Batman's identity?  
>Why weren't Victor Zsasz's fingerprints on the note?<br>What happened between Batman and Bane a few years ago?  
>Will Black Canary tease Wonder Woman about the phone call?<br>What will happen to Raven and Robin at the apartment?  
>How will Robin prove to Raven that he lives for the thrill?<br>Why was Roxanne Lenore calling Lois Lane?  
>Will Bruce and Diana break up?<br>What will Lois and Superman find out?  
>Will Raven find out that Beast Boy and Kid Flash were in her room?<br>What's up with Xavier's serious mood swing?  
>What connection does Harold Lenore have to Xavier?<br>Who's the carnivorous pal of Xavier's?  
>Will Kole be able to leave the forest?<br>Who's the man Kole found in ice?  
>Will Jinx's past play a vital part in this story?<br>How will the Titans handle being famous?

Thanks for reading!


	14. Who is Slade?

**A/N –** Is it just me, but is the new layout for this website ghastly? On a side note, imagine how awesome it would be if they created a Justice League movie with Batman and Wonder Woman romance. Then, after a sequel or two, they develop a movie crossover with the Teen Titans. Pure awesomeness.

* * *

><p>It took a while for the crowd to disperse, but that didn't mean that the Titans were enjoying all of the attention. They truly did for they liked to be appreciated for their efforts.<p>

The reporter that had first approached them asked, "Are any of you dating?" At this, Bumblebee started cracking up like a maniac, holding onto Cyborg for support.

Kid Flash saw the lady reporter look away from Bumblebee, fearing that she was having a psychotic breakdown. When she looked at him, he winked at her, causing her to blush a little bit. The reporter was actually quite pretty, looking like she was of Korean-American descent. She had raven colored hair that fell a couple of inches past her shoulders and eyes the color of mahogany. The reporter was petite, standing a few inches shorter than Kid Flash. However, she was undeniably pretty in that cute, innocent kind of way.

"Robin! Are you always that hot?"

"Speedy! How does it feel to be out of Green Arrow's shadow?"

"Starfire! Are all other aliens as hot as you?"

"Cyborg! Do you think you can give a speech at our technology convention? We'd be _honored_ if you came!"

"Lumina! What are the extents of your power?"

"Kid Flash! Who's faster: you or Flash?"

"Beast Boy! Are you a fan of Harry Potter? If so, do you think you can Slytherin to my bed?"

"Bumblebee! How does it feel to finally be queen bee?"

"Aqualad! Can we go riding dolphins together sometime?"

"Raven! Can you teach me the words to the emo song?"

Once the crowd finally lessened, Astoria looked up. Surprise flickered on her face and after excusing herself, started running off in this one direction. Nobody amongst the group knew where she was going, which created a slight problem.

"Hey, Star," Speedy said, suddenly becoming bashful. "Would you like to see a movie with me?"

"Ooh! I want to go!" Beast Boy shouted, enthralled by the idea of seeing an epic movie. At this, Bumblebee whacked him on the back of his head.

"Friend Speedy, that sounds most fascinating!" Starfire responded.

"Great!" Speedy then led the alien in the direction of the closest movie theater.

"I wanted to go!" Beast Boy pouted.

"Why don't you go to the bowling alley and see if you can get kicked out again?" Cyborg suggested sarcastically.

"That's a great idea! Come on, Cy!"

"BB, I think Sparky was being sarcastic," Bumblebee told the green boy.

Beast Boy sighed. "Is the face really necessary?"

"What face?" Cyborg and Bumblebee asked simultaneously.

After their question was formed, Beast Boy immediately morphed into a small kitten with wide, hopeful eyes. He meowed quietly and jumped into Bumblebee's arms. Like Beast Boy predicted, the two teenagers couldn't resist the face. So, they wound up going to the bowling alley together, with Kid Flash and Aqualad tagging along.

This just left Raven and Robin.

"Are we waiting until darkness falls to go to the apartment or now?" Raven asked Robin.

"Well, waiting until it becomes dark would give us a better edge when it comes to stealth," Robin replied.

"How could you possibly be stealthy when you're a walking traffic light?" Raven asked incredulously.

"You'd be surprised."

Raven scoffed. "So, how are you planning on passing the time?"

"Well, I do have a little detour in mind…" Raven mentally groaned, having a strong feeling that his eyes were twinkling underneath that mask of his.

Batman's protégé started leading the Azarathian towards a dodgier part of the town. Here, there were less people, which was probably just as well. It was darker and ominous; it was enough to send chills down a civilian's back. Several people were smoking cigarettes and cigars, making Raven want to gag from the suffocating stench that filled her lungs.

"Robin, where are you taking me?" Raven hissed in his ear.

Instead of replying, he led her inside of a deserted and narrow passageway. Raven gave him a concerned look, wondering what kind of detour this was. Still saying nothing, he walked over to a shut dumpster, which he dragged away from its current position. With a raised eyebrow, Raven watched as a small keypad was revealed, with a set of numbers. Blocking her view, Robin entered a code, and much to Raven's amazement, the ground started rumbling and shaking. Soon enough, a crack in the filthy pavement appeared, extending out to the size of the dumpster. Before Raven could even blink, a sleek, red motorcycle appeared, rising out of the ground by a white platform. Accompanying the bike was a red helmet with the initial R plastered on the front.

"You have got to be kidding me," Raven said, dumbstruck.

"I needed a place to hide the R-Cycle," Robin simply said. "So, I installed a security system here and tampered with the ground. No one would ever guess that I keep my bike here."

"Nobody notices anything when you simply walk here?"

"Not at all. Why, you ask? I usually jump across the rooftops, therefore rendering their curiosity useless."

"How about now? They still won't guess anything?"

"Well, no. They're probably thinking I took you here to have my way with you," he said, making Raven blush. "Even if they are thinking of something else, the chances of them remembering are very slim. Let's not forget about the security system, either."

"You thought of everything," Raven mused.

"It would seem so." Robin grinned. "Now, get on the bike."

"What? No, I can't."

"Why not, Raven?"

"I'd prefer to fly, thank you very much."

"Where's the fun in that?" Robin pouted.

"Are you even old enough to be driving?" Raven asked, stalling.

"I'm one of the safest drivers you'll ever meet."

"Somehow, I strongly doubt that."

Robin sighed. "You know, if I didn't know you better, I would say that you're stalling. You're not scared at the prospect of riding a motorcycle, are you, Rae?"

"I don't do scared," Raven replied.

"Prove it," Robin taunted.

Glaring daggers at the skilled hero, Raven trudged towards the motorbike and sat down on the black seat. Immediately, her arms crossed her chest defiantly.

"You know, you're cute when you're angry," Robin told his companion as he clambered onto the customized motorbike. Raven thought about kicking him, but decided against it since she really needed to work on her anger.

"Just drive, Blunder Boy."

"I can't. You're not wearing your helmet."

"If anyone needs a helmet, it's you," the Azarathian told Batman's protégé.

Robin shrugged, putting the helmet away in an unnoticeable, sealed compartment. "Suit yourself."

Raven's arms were still obstinately crossed over her abdomen when the motorcycle lurched forward, heading towards an even narrower passageway that Raven hadn't noticed due to the dumpster and the lack of decent lighting. When the motorbike accelerated in speed, however, Raven's arms automatically snaked around Robin's waist to prevent herself from falling off. Despite her heels digging into the sides of the vehicle, it was still arduous to feel secure on it, especially with all the winding paths Robin was taking her through.

Soon enough, Robin was driving back on the main road, away from the smokers and drug addicts that resided in the sole, dodgy part in Jump City. Raven was still clutching tightly onto him and it was a wonder that he wasn't suffocating from lack of oxygen. She found her head resting against his back as the buildings and cars raced on by. Like Raven had predicted, Robin had absolutely no regards for the rules of the road. Whenever there was a red light, Robin would always find a way to surpass it, such as driving the bike off a nearby ramp or going to the extremes by flying across rooftops. Personally, Raven felt bad for all the money people would have to pay in order to replace the shingles on their roof. She also felt bad for all of the torture that her stomach was being put through.

Thankfully, it all ended when the motorbike skidded to a stop in the parking lot of the apartment complex that Kylie DePriest lived in. Feeling sick, Raven shakily got off the R-Cycle and stumbled towards a stone bench.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked, concerned.

"Good driver, my ass," Raven replied, startling Robin with her language usage.

Robin opened up his mouth to suggest that she should have worn her helmet, but realized that would have earned a respectable, snarky quip. Quickly, he made his way back to the R-Cycle and took something out of a compartment. He walked back to Raven and handed it to her. It was a water bottle, which she took gratefully.

"I'm sorry, Rae. You should have known that when a challenge is set my way, I follow through beyond expectations."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Raven groaned after taking a sip of the refreshing and rejuvenating water.

**-Meanwhile With Lois Lane And Superman-**

The couple had just arrived at Lois's apartment after meeting up at The Daily Planet. The upside of being a reporter was that you didn't have to constantly be working strenuously at your desk. As long as you finished your articles or columns before the deadline, you were good to go.

"Break my laptop and I'll try my best to break your face, Smallville," Lois told her boyfriend

Clark grimaced. "Batman actually managed to break my nose," he admitted.

"That man has skills," Lois told him as she booted up the computer.

"I honestly do believe that he's the most dangerous man on the planet."

"You should never underestimate him," Lois agreed with subtlety.

"Okay, so we're just looking for this woman's phone records so we can track the location of where she was before she was abducted?" Clark looked at curiously, trying to make sure that's what she wanted.

"Yeah. After that, I was hoping that Bruce could help so he could set up some crime scene and run some scans that could lead us straight to her. Unfortunately, you're not qualified for any of that."

"Well, I could call a local detective…"

"Don't. They take too long. By then, it could be too late," Lois urgently told the famous superhero.

Clark didn't respond, but started working on his girlfriend's laptop. He examined the phone records he managed to retrieve, discovering that The Daily Planet was indeed the last call made. After some deft maneuvers on the program he was using, he managed to pinpoint a location where the phone was currently placed.

"Okay, so I managed to pinpoint a location, but I don't see how I could possibly figure out where she was taken due to the lack of the necessary equipment," he told her.

"Let me take a look at the phone records," Lois demanded.

Clark complied with her request after writing down the coordinates on a sticky note. He remained silent as Lois scanned the records, looking for any repeated phone numbers. She wrote down all of the numbers that were called via Roxanne Lenore's cellphone at least twice, hoping that this would help them in their quest.

"Clark, do you think you can find a way to listen to the conversations that took place with these numbers? I realize that it's an invasion of privacy, but I honestly do believe that I'll be able to recognize the man's voice if they talked over the phone once. Once we find our culprit, we track the location of his phone and hopefully find Roxanne Lenore."

"You know, if your reporting career doesn't work out, you should definitely become a detective."

Lois shrugged. "Well, I hang out with superheroes too much. Obviously, I'm bound to pick up a thing or two."

**-Meanwhile With Kole-**

Kole screamed. Freaking out was definitely an understatement. She was in the middle of nowhere due to some accident with the launching pod on the transportation deck. She was rendered unable to contact in the Justice League because she couldn't receive a signal on the communication device that you were required to bring in case of emergency. Now, after walking around for what seemed like an eternity, she finds a man stuck in a giant block of ice. It was as if it were fate. Be as that may, it was an incredibly cruel thing to be thrown her way.

Yet completely fortunate and serendipitous.

Kole crouched down, trying to examine the man through the frozen liquid. It was rather odd how the man was encased in ice considering the humidity and heat that lingered in the air. Another thought crossed her mind. What if the man was bewitched into a frozen cocoon? Kole shook her head and resumed with her studying of the man's features. He was a Neanderthal, which was quite obvious. The man had a very wide jaw, low stature, and appeared to be muscular. The caveman was very hairy with poorly cut hair (possibly due to a dull blade on a knife) that was cropped similarly like a soldier's. Even though his eyes were closed, Kole assumed that if they were open, they would be the color of onyx.

Kole's hand involuntarily reached forward, towards the icy entrapment. When her hand was only a couple of inches away from the frozen liquid, she felt some kind of current pulsating throughout her flesh, searing in a manner worse than a bonfire. With a pained cry, Kole snapped her hand away, flinching. The pink-haired girl looked down and much to her dismay, she saw hot, sticky liquid trickling down her wrists. The sickly stench of copper filled her nostrils, her senses going into overdrive due to the pain that was overwhelming her body. Underneath the bloody laceration, she could already see a horrid, cracking scab forming, increasing the rawness of her tender flesh. She didn't dare attempt transforming into her other form for fear of the dire results that could possibly occur.

Wincing, Kole took one last look at the trapped man and silently vowed that she would help him, no matter what. With that promise now intact, Kole ran away from the site, hoping that she would find a way out of this forest before the worst case scenario could take place.

**-Meanwhile With Astoria-**

"I didn't think I'd see you again," Astoria admitted, her voice carrying over a few yards by the wind.

After being badgered by awed reporters and civilians, Astoria had pushed past people to follow a person that had been plaguing her mind since their first meeting. Now, she was standing in front of a small suburban house with a simple, yet extravagant exterior. The house was painted a creamy type of beige and the shrubs were trimmed impeccably. A beautiful magnolia tree in full bloom was planted a few feet away from the solid sidewalk, casting a shadow around it. Hanging from it was a swing, wide enough for two people to sit on its wooden structure.

The guy turned around, seeming to recognize Astoria's voice. He grinned when he saw her. "Well, I must admit that I'm surprised to see you off jail duty."

"Well, what can I say? Even a bad girl has gotta to behave sometime."

He laughed. "You know what, it's getting cold. Why don't you come inside?"

"I may seek you out in a crowd, but I'm not going inside your house if I don't even know your name," Astoria said, smirking. The ball was now in his court. If he wanted to hang out with her, he would have to oblige with her subtle request.

The handsome guy with the most captivating eyes laughed once more. "My name's Jeremy."

Astoria pondered that for a few seconds. "Well, Jeremy, do you mind if I call you Jay?"

Jeremy said, "'Course not. It actually sounds pretty catchy, to tell you the truth."

"Okay, Jay, I have a quick question for you. Wouldn't your parents mind? I mean, as you said, it's getting late."

"I'm emancipated, meaning I don't live with my parents."

Astoria's mouth dropped. She had never met somebody that was emancipated. It almost seemed as if this guy were too good to be true. With both of her eyebrows raised, Astoria studied Jay, searching for any ulterior motives he might have. Finding none, she started walking towards the front door of the beautiful abode.

"Do you like pasta? I was planning on making some tonight."

"Oh, you don't have to. There's plenty of food back at the academy I attend," she told him, following him into the kitchen.

"Academy, eh?"

"Uh, yeah, it's a great private school. I go there with my best friend Toni."

"Well, he must be a lucky guy to have you in his life," Jay told Astoria sincerely.

"She. Toni is a girl."

"Way to sufficiently make me feel like an idiot," Jay told the blonde. "Anyway, are you really going to turn down delicious spaghetti? It's been running through my family for generations. Years were spent perfecting the sauce and it's really superb."

Astoria sighed. "Fine. I'll stay… on one condition."

"And what condition might that be?" Jay cocked an eyebrow.

"You let me do the dishes."

"Now, what kind of gentleman would that make me?"

"A smart one," Astoria replied.

"No," he flatly told her.

"Come on! You're showing such hospitality and I want to feel like I'm helping out _somehow._"

Jay sighed. "Fine."

Astoria watched him busily move around the kitchen, gathering all of the necessary ingredients and spices. "So, you said that this recipe ran through your family for generations, but you don't look Italian."

"That's because I'm also Danish," he told her as he started dicing tomatoes.

"Well, I do love me some Danish," joked Astoria, lightly referring to the food.

"Really, now?" Jay winked at her.

"Yep. So, anything else I should be aware of?"

Jay asked, "Why are you so curious about my nationality?"

Astoria raised her hands in a defensive manner. "I'm just intrigued about you. Sue me. Besides, it's striking up a conversation." Unknown to him, however, she had a whole other reason for asking about it.

Jay considered this for a few moments before replying, "I'm also Irish and French… Oh, and let's not forget about the good, ole USA."

Astoria nodded and quickly changed the subject. She didn't want to dwell on her family matters. The memories hurt too much, sharper than a knife.

"You're not secretly a hooker, are you?" Jay asked, leaning against the counter.

"Excuse me?" Astoria scoffed.

"Your outfit." He jutted his chin in her direction in order to emphasize what he was talking about.

"Oh, that…" Astoria bit her lip. "You caught me. I snuck out of the academy and planned on going clubbing."

"You don't seem like the type to enjoy clubbing."

"Looks can be deceiving."

"You know, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm actually being reminded of that magician in the Justice League. What was her name…? Zatanna? Yeah, that's it!"

"Well, you know, I've always been more of a Superman fan," lied Astoria.

"I saw you fighting those guys," he told her flatly.

Astoria bit her lip. "You saw that?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. I think it's pretty cool how I'm friends with a badass hero. It's a bonus how she's pretty to boot."

"Is that your superpower? The ability to be so utterly charming?"

"Well, I didn't know that was a power. I'll certainly take it, though." Jay flashed a smile.

Half an hour passed when the two teenagers began eating. The Italian dish was as scrumptious as Jeremy had promised. Even though Astoria's stomach craved for another plate, she refrained from doing so.

"You're an excellent cook," Astoria remarked as she carefully scrubbed the plates in the sink. "But," she drawled, "you forgot dessert."

"That's probably because I didn't make any," he told her from his sitting position at the table.

Astoria quickly dried her hands on a paper towel before opening the fridge and taking something out that she hid behind her back. "Well, we're just going to have to fix that."

Astoria slowly made her way to Jeremy, who was brimming with curiosity. When she was closer to him, she slowly straddled him with gleaming eyes. Her hand retracted, revealing a can of whipped cream. With her eyes still twinkling, Astoria squirted a generous amount into the crook of Jay's neck. Ever so slowly, she began licking and sucking the sugary goodness off his skin.

"Well, this definitely isn't what I expected," he said softly.

"Do you have any objections?"

"An objection other than how you missed a spot? Of course not."

With a flirtatious smile, Astoria continued with her actions. After removing whipped cream from his neck three more times, Astoria sprayed some in his mouth. As soon as her mouth came into contact with his, his arms snaked around her waist while she dropped the cold can and wrapped her arms around his neck. The sweetness of the cold delicacy just increased the wonderfulness of the kiss. They breathed heavily through their noses, not wanting to break apart. Soon enough, Jeremy lifted Astoria up and carried her over to the counter where he carefully set her down. Automatically, her pale legs wrapped around his torso, hitching her skirt up ever so slightly. Raw passion in its purest form filled the house with absolutely no complaints being filed by the two involved…

**-Meanwhile With Solstice And Argent-**

"I hate you," Solstice told Argent, who was lackadaisically lounging around in the common room as she watched some reality television show.

"Why are you here? It's not even eight and you're supposed to be out on a date," Argent called back to her friend.

"Speak for yourself! You're sitting here all alone in your pajamas, watching television as you eat a TV dinner that tastes like plastic!"

"Hey, don't forget about the Greek yogurt!"

"That is so gross," mumbled Solstice.

Argent turned down the volume of the television. "I heard that! Anyway, tell me, why aren't you on your date and why do you supposedly hate me?"

"Don't you have a boyfriend to annoy?"

"He said something about having a night with the guys. For all I know, they could have snuck into a strip bar."

"And you aren't worried?"

"I didn't think I had to be. After all, I could kick his ass any day of the week," the short girl sitting on the couch said.

"I'm sure he'll be comforted to hear that," Solstice shot back.

"Anyhoo, enough about me. Why aren't you on your date?"

Solstice sighed. "You're a terrible matchmaker, that's why!"

Solstice was currently wearing a gorgeous, yellow dress with a low neckline that plunged downwards into a V and showed a fair amount of cleavage. The dress was halter-like, the fabric tied around the back of her neck. Silver sequins lined the top part of the dress, with a silver sun embroidered onto a smooth ribbon just beneath her breasts. The dress stopped mid-thigh, adding a playful kind of atmosphere. Solstice personally loved this dress because it reminded her of her superhero costume. Black flats covered her feet, amazingly comfortable. Her hair was pulled up into a sophisticated updo with a few curled strands framing her face. To finish off the look, golden star earrings hung from her earlobes. She wore minimal makeup.

"What was wrong about that guy?" Argent asked, flabbergasted.

"He had a shrine, for crying out loud!" Solstice exclaimed.

"What's so bad about that?"

"It was a shrine to Superman!"

"So? Loads of people love Superman!" Argent justified.

"After I excused myself to go to the bathroom, I walked back in the room and saw him kissing this giant poster of Superman," Solstice flatly told her friend.

Argent opened and closed her mouth several times before spluttering, "I bet Bushido does that _all _the time!"

Solstice rolled her eyes. "He has a twenty-paged binder of places Superman has been in the past three months. _Twenty _pages. He has a fan club of people that want to carry Superman's child and he's a guy, Toni! He's gay and completely, helplessly, and hopelessly in love with Superman!"

"If that's true, why did he even agree to go on a date with you?"

"He does his research on everything that involves Superman. He found out that I attended this academy and hoped that I could maybe pass a message along to Superman to try and hook them up or something," Solstice said with a bored tone to her voice.

Argent sighed, disappointed. "Darn, I really thought that you two could develop something really special. What was bad about that other guy from last week, again?"

"He's the type of guy that would try to ravish me when my father's back is turned! Oh, and let's not forget about how he had a belly button fetish!"

"You have to admit that he was actually pretty good-looking, though!"

Solstice groaned. "All the good looks in the world wouldn't make for a terrible personality, Toni! I want to have a relationship with a guy that's compassionate, intelligent, funny, and brave. I want to be with somebody who sees past all of my insecurities. Somebody that can take my breath away. Is that really too much to ask?"

"Uh, yeah, I wish you the best of luck on finding your prince charming," Argent told her after swallowing a mouthful of yogurt.

"You know, ever since you started dating Isaiah, it seems like you don't listen to what other people have to say nowadays."

"Kiran, I'm truly sorry. I just think it's kind of ridiculous how you can't find a boyfriend. I mean, you're such an envious kind of pretty. You look like you could be a princess with all of your exotic features! Besides, I'm not the only one changing around here. When I first met you, you were practically an explosion of life, a positive spirit. Nowadays, it seems like you no longer embrace life and all it has to offer. You don't have a single reason for acting different; I do. You don't have to stress about your boyfriend or anything. So, before you go around judging other people, think about your own situation first," Argent snapped.

Before Solstice could respond, somebody entered the room. The new occupant of the room was an insanely skinny girl with a tan complexion. She had wavy, auburn hair that descended down to her lower back that was currently pulled up into a ponytail. A faint glimpse of a tattoo on the girl's neck was slightly visible, although the distinct shape of the tattoo was unidentifiable because of the hair somewhat blocking it. The girl had ordinary brown eyes that only stood out due to her makeup application, as well as a sharp nose. She was about an inch taller than Argent, but was still considered fairly short. Her body was clad in a light blue and white shirt with long sleeves that flared out, black shorts that stopped mid-thigh and were made of a stronger material than denim, and black boots that reached up to her knees. The girl's name was Heather Carlton, while her superhero alias was Airstorm.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," she said when she noticed that the two girls in the living room appeared to be in the middle of a heated discussion. "I wasn't aware that other people were still here."

"It's fine, Heather," Argent told her as she finished her non-fat yogurt.

"Yeah, I was just about to go down to my room," Solstice said, flashing a weak smile in Airstorm's direction.

"Have a good night!" Heather called to Solstice as she descended the stairs to go to her room.

As Solstice made her way down the stairs, she faintly heard Argent tell Airstorm, "You know, I think she's becoming a lesbian." With a quickening pace, Solstice shut herself in her room and locked the door.

She missed her parents dearly and it hadn't even been a month yet. With frustration filling every pore within her body, Solstice sent a swift kick to the side of her bed before ripping out a drawer of the nightstand that stood beside her bed. She stared at the contents of the drawer, the majority of the items currently littered on the floor. One item stood out among the others and she gingerly picked it up. It was a kitchen knife with a razor-sharp edge. Kiran stared at the glinting blade for a few minutes before angrily flinging it across the room. Ignoring the other objects on the floor, as well as the wooden drawer, the daughter of two archaeologists plopped down on her bed, wishing that the mattress could sink her even further….

**-Meanwhile At Jump City's Bowling Alley-**

"I'm surprised they allowed you to come here," Cyborg mused as Beast Boy slid his feet in shoes that were too large for him.

"I'm famous now, man! The public would be very angry if they knew a bowling alley wouldn't allow one of their favorite public figures to have some fun!" Beast Boy explained.

"I doubt that one kid would agree," Cyborg muttered.

"He threw a bowling ball at my face!" Beast Boy started flailing his arms.

Kid Flash snickered. "A kid tried to break your face?" Kid Flash paused. "Smart kid."

"You know what?" Beast Boy stood up, trying to make himself seem big and mighty. "You guys are going to get crushed at bowling!"

"Ten bucks says he chokes," Bumblebee said, selecting a yellow bowling ball.

"You guys are really mean." It looked as if Beast Boy deflated.

"I love you!" Kid Flash screamed, hugging Beast Boy. "Now, come on! Let's go, girls!" Beast Boy started choking, his eyes wide as the terrible memories spouted up into his head once more.

The group of teenagers began bowling. After everybody had went five times, it was noted that Bumblebee was in the lead, closely followed by Cyborg. Behind Cyborg was Aqualad. Kid Flash and Beast Boy were tied for last place, which they considered was a major accomplishment.

Rubbing his hands determinedly, Beast Boy retrieved his polka dotted ball. After shaking his butt in the air and shuffling in both directions for a while, Beast Boy retreated backwards a couple of feet. He practiced with the releasing of the ball without actually letting it go. Then, he was about to do another round of butt shaking.

"Just bowl already!" Bumblebee said exasperatedly.

After giving her an evil eye that was nowhere near on par with the infamous Batglare, Beast Boy swung his arm back and released the ball on the way back. Unfortunately, it stopped halfway down the bowling lane. Determined to knock down all of the pins, Beast Boy automatically scrambled upright and slowly walked across the slippery surface. He was tempted to morph into an animal, but he didn't want to have to face signing several autographs. Plus, let's not forget about how he would be rendered unable to carry the ball back.

Before Beast Boy could successfully retrieve the heavy ball, lights started exploding and people began screaming. After a blinding sensation stunned him for a few seconds, he was carried over into a pit of darkness….

**-Meanwhile With Speedy And Starfire-**

"Did you hear that?" Speedy whispered to the Tamaranean female, his arm retracting from its position over the back of her body.

Starfire looked at the archer with a puzzled expression.

Speedy rubbed the bridge of his nose and focused all of his senses. Even though they were in a movie theater, his ears managed to pick up a faint sound that was coming from out of the theater. It sounded like an explosion that was definitely not coming from the movie he was watching with Starfire.

"Something's going on, Star," he hissed, much to the chagrin of the people surrounding them.

Starfire nodded and stood up. Speedy wanted to hurry up and quicken the process of leaving their seats that were dead smack in the center of their row. Sighing, he jumped over an elderly lady that looked like she wasn't breathing, leapt over to the next row because it looked emptier, and completely ignored the protesting worker in the theater. Speedy continued with this type of maneuver, sufficiently pissing off the movie goers. Starfire followed his example, leaping up into the air and flying towards the exit, where she waited for his arrival.

"Friend Speedy, may I inquire what is taking place?" Starfire asked as she and Speedy raced out of the theater.

"When the movie got all quiet for a while, I heard something that was coming from outside the movie theater. It sounded like an explosion, Star."

Starfire gasped. "Is everybody unharmed?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if there really was an explosion," he answered.

The two members of Class Titan pushed past everybody in the building that they came in contact with and hurriedly made their way outside. From underneath the concrete pavilion that kept too much sunlight from filtering into the area where you purchased your tickets, Speedy could make out the beginning traces of smoke rising from a building that was a couple of blocks away.

Speedy intently stared at the tendrils of gray smoke. "Starfire," Speedy said, "can you fly me over to that area with rising smoke?"

Starfire looked over to where Speedy was looking and quickly nodded. Gingerly, she lifted him by the back of his shirt and sped through the sky, low in order to make a quick landing. Speedy's eyes widened considerably from underneath his mask. The burning building was the bowling alley.

Amidst the flickering flames that were greedily licking at the building, Speedy caught a glimpse of a dark silhouette holding onto a box of matches. "Starfire, I need you to quickly rescue everybody in there, including our friends. Hurry and don't stop. Got it?"

"What shall you be doing, Friend Speedy?" Starfire asked, concerned.

"I'm going to be eliminating the problem," he told her.

Starfire hesitantly nodded before rushing into the building. Speedy tried his best to be stealthy in order to sneak up on the figure. Before he could get near enough to hold him or her in a choke-hold, the figure whirled around, whipping out a katana. It was a girl. She was wearing a skin-tight black uniform that covered every inch of her skin and would look blue in certain lighting. A dark, golden-like color helped make up the color scheme, with her boots, gauntlets, utility belt, and half of her mask. The other half of her mask was pure black, her eye unable to be seen. In the center of her utility belt was a garnet the color of blood, while the pouches were securely placed on the sides of her hips, evenly spaced. The belt also had two tiny clips that would fasten her weapon of her choice, a katana, to her sides, easily accessible. The barest traces of armor were visible, as well as blood-red lips and a scarcely sun-kissed chin.

"Who the hell are you?" Speedy asked, preparing to use an arrow if need be.

"I believe the proper question is who I am not," the girl said, looking like a lion about to pounce.

"That doesn't even make sense."

The girl, still holding onto the matches shot back, "It doesn't have to. Well, at least not to the minds of people like you, anyways."

"What was the intent behind setting fire to this building?" Speedy interrogated.

"If you really believe that I'm going to answer all of your questions, you're mistaken," she told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another place to attend to that's just calling my name."

As she tried to stealthily sneak away from the scene, Speedy immediately shot an arrow that was aimed for her thigh. Before the arrow could reach its mark, the girl pirouetted out of the way, lifting her katana in an offensive manner. Speedy was positive that she was glaring at him, but he couldn't exactly verify that.

"You've just made yourself a new enemy," she spat before taking off, leaving a stunned Speedy.

Speedy returned to the front of the building, where a pile of unconscious people was being made. Starfire returned once more, carrying three little boys in her arms. Giving him a worried look, Starfire returned to the building once more, and Speedy bravely followed her inside. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw firefighters trying their best to cease the flames. Shaking his head, Speedy started dragging Beast Boy and Bumblebee simultaneously out of the building. Meanwhile, Starfire's main priority was the remaining civilians. The two members of Class Titan managed to rescue everybody in the building just as the structure collapsed.

Personally, Speedy was wondering how that girl had managed to achieved this without a significant source of a weapon capable of doing this. This whole ordeal just proved they were dealing with a foe beyond their wildest dreams.

**-Meanwhile With Roxanne Lenore-**

Tally Man II threw Roxanne down on the ground with a tremendous amount of force. She gasped as pain shot up in her right leg. Slowly, she looked up and saw a snarling man that hideously resembled a shark. A closer examination showed her that he was tied up.

"This is the Great White Shark," Xavier informed her. "You're going to kill him in front of your father, or watch him die before your very own eyes very much similar to your mother. Oh, and then I'm going to kill you."

"Wouldn't it just be easier to shoot us both and get it over with?" Roxanne spat out, glaring at Xavier.

"Your father ruined my life. My goal is to inflict as much pain as possible to him to settle out the scores a little bit better."

"My father is not the one to intentionally hurt people," Roxanne belligerently told the dark-skinned man.

"You don't know your father as well as I do!" Xavier snapped. "Your father ruined my life!"

Roxanne glared at the man standing before her. "How?"

Tally Man II started pacing back and forth. "Harold Lenore and I used to go to school together. We were the best of pals back then. The two of us agreed to go to college together after a year without schooling. After high school ended, I proposed to my girlfriend of two years. A few days before my wedding, I went to the church to seek guidance. Instead, I got a nasty surprise. Apparently, my fiancée had been sleeping with Harold, your father, for over a year behind my back. Oh, but the story doesn't end there…

"After calling off the wedding, I eventually forgave your father. He's such a convincing liar, one of the best. Anyway, a few months after the incident, your father tried to cover up a grave mistake he made by blaming me. As the cop car was pulling away with me sitting in the backseat, I took a look at your father's face. The bastard was smirking. From that day on, I became involved in criminal activities."

"I'm sorry about my father's mistakes. That's a problem you should peacefully settle with him. Holding me captive won't accomplish anything," Roxanne said, a final attempt to save her life.

"Holding you captive gave me power over him. I have the upper hand now. Besides, the society I'm working with want you dead," he told her, frustrated.

"What about you, huh?"

"Pardon?"

"Do _you _want me dead?" Roxanne asked, intently studying Xaviet's face.

Before Tally Man II could answer, a car door was heard from outside the building. Xavier stopped his pacing and raced out of the room to welcome his guest. Not even two minutes had passed when he returned, Roxanne's father in tow. The man with the receding hairline worriedly glanced at his daughter before he was punched in the face and slammed into the wall as a result.

"Think about what you're doing!" Roxanne pleaded one last time as Xavier forced her to stand up.

He ignored her completely and focused on unbinding the Great White Shark. Once freed, the shark-like man lunged forwards, trying to wrap his beefy hands around Xavier's throat. Xavier sidestepped out of the way and pressed a button on a remote he took out of his pocket. Instantly, the Great White Shark howled in pain and dropped to the ground. Roxanne assumed that a chip was embedded into his body and if the button was pressed, he would get shocked.

"Here's how the game is going to work," Xavier said, particularly looking at Roxanne and her father. "Harold, you are going to bear witness to a killer in your family. Unless, of course, she'd rather watch you die very slowly and very painfully. If she does, indeed, follow through with killing the Great White Shark, I will be giving you a gun with one bullet. You will kill your daughter with that bullet or watch her die by my hand. The choice is ultimately up to you."

"Why are you doing this?" Mr. Lenore asked, his eyes watering.

"Don't play stupid with me!" Tally Man II roared. "Because of you, my life is at the lowest point it can possible be at! Because of you, I can hardly get by! Because of you, I became a _monster!_"

"Xavier, the night the police car took you away, you were drugged so it altered your line of thinking. The drug changed your perspective about what really happened," Harold tried to explain.

"You were always lying, Harold, about everything. I see things haven't changed. You slept with the woman I loved! You didn't do it just once, but several times. Then, as soon as I'm out of the picture, you go around, marry her, and have a kid with her."

Realization dawned on Roxanne. "You son of a _bitch!_ It wasn't just a freak elevator accident that killed my mother! You tampered with it and sent her plummeting to her death!"

"Well, I see you aren't as stupid as you led me to believe," Xavier said, rounding on the only female occupant of the circular room.

Before anymore words could be exchanged, the smashing of glass was heard from another room. Xavier instantaneously turned away from Roxanne and glared daggers at Harold Lenore.

"Who the hell did you call?" Tally Man II roared, his finger itching to pull the trigger.

Harold gulped. "I didn't tell anybody! I swear!"

Not believing the district attorney, Xavier fired the gun towards Roxanne's heart without even looking at her. Xavier knew enough about aiming guns that he knew for sure the bullet wouldn't perforate Roxanne's lungs from the position the bullet was shot. He wanted to watch the horror on Harold's face as the bullet pierced Roxanne's heart. Xavier quickly licked his lips, savoring this moment. However, the bullet never reached its intended target. Out of nowhere, Superman appeared, the bullet slowly being crushed in his clenched fist. Without even blinking an eye, Superman knocked the gun out of Tally Man II's hands with a subsequent punch to his gut. As Xavier slumped to the floor, Superman saw the Great White Shark trying to escape when he was distracted. With ease, Superman threw the shark-like man against the wall and applied pressure to a pressure point.

"Thank you," Roxanne managed to choke out.

"I'm just sorry I couldn't get here earlier," Superman sincerely told the Gothamite. "Would you like for me to drop the two of you off at the closest hospital? I strongly advise that you have a medic examine your injuries, while you should make sure you aren't at a risk for a heart attack and your ribs aren't cracked." The last part was directed to Roxanne's father.

"That's fine," Harold told the superhero, obviously still shaken up. "I can just drive my daughter to a hospital."

Roxanne stared her father in the eyes, pain visible in her eyes. If it wasn't for her father's mistakes, her mother would still be alive. Despite the story Xavier had told, her mother was a wonderful woman and made attempts to help everybody around her. She had been able to see that, even though she was very young at the time of the accident.

"You know what," Roxanne told the tall hero, "I think a quick drop-off would be lovely."

Roxanne caught a flicker of pain flash across her father's face, but she tried her best to ignore it. It wasn't as if he made much of an attempt to communicate with her, anyways. Besides, she honestly didn't want to hear him make a plethora of excuses. When Superman quickly left to hand the two criminals over to the authorities, she turned away from her father and let one tear trickle down her cheek. Why did life have to be full of pain and sorrow?

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

"You're feeling better, right?" Robin asked Raven for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"Yes, Robin!" Raven said, sounding annoyed. "The nausea died down. Just don't expect me to be riding that ever again."

Satisfied, Robin removed something from his utility belt. Raven realized that they were gloves with suction cups attached to them. Robin handed her a pair and after giving him an 'are-you-serious?' look, she reluctantly put them on.

"What are these even for?" asked the Azarathian.

"We're climbing through the laundry chute in order to get inside the room," he simply answered.

"Why can't we just do things my way and teleport inside the apartment?"

Robin pouted. "That's no fun, Rae. I promise you it'll be fun. Besides, we need to make sure that nobody's inside the room. Hiding in the little closet can allow us to know if anybody's in the other rooms."

"Oh, yeah, because my definition of fun is being trapped in small, enclosed spaces with you," Raven said dryly.

"I always knew you'd admit it, but I honestly didn't expect it so soon," Robin cockily joked.

Raven rolled her eyes. "We weren't so cautious last time. What makes this trip so different?"

"Last time, we were almost caught, remember?"

Sighing, Raven quietly followed Robin through the back door of the motel and headed for the laundry room. Thankfully, nobody occupied the room and they could easily climb into the chute. Robin was still in front of her so he could quickly check the apartment. Raven almost slid down the cramped chute several times and kept muttering curse words under her breath much to Robin's chagrin.

Once they were in the closet, Robin pressed his ear against the door and opened it only after he ensured no sounds were on the other side. The two teenagers searched the apartment, looking for a disc or anything that could possibly be related to the bug or program. Thirty minutes had passed when a sudden draft of wind blew into the apartment.

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?"

Robin whirled around, staring at a girl wearing a costume by the open window. The costume was black and clung to her skin. Darkened yellow gloves, boots, and belt completed the coloring scheme. Her mask was two different colors; one side was pure black while the other half was the same golden-like color as her boots and gauntlets. A cruel smile finished the look off.

"Who are you?" Robin asked, clenching his fists.

"You know, I was just asked that! It must be the question of the day." Even though the girl was joking, her voice was cold.

"You didn't answer my question," Robin said.

"And you didn't answer mine," the unnamed girl said. "However, I think it's pretty obvious: Batman's sidekick and a mute girl presumably from another dimension. How cute."

Robin lunged forward, whipping out his bo-staff. The unnamed girl intercepted the weapon with a katana that was strapped to her side. Raven tried to slam the coffee table into the girl's side, but was unable to do so. She silently watched as the two opponents on the other side of the room were involved in a deadly dance, full of dodging, parrying, and offensive attacks.

"Raven, help!" Robin yelled, his concentration never wavering.

Raven gulped. "My powers aren't working."

This surprised Robin. He stood still for a second too long and a slice on his upper arm jolted him back to reality. Batman's protégé lunged out of the way of another attack and shouted, "Then use your knives!"

After giving herself a mental slap, Raven quickly took out her pair of kunai knives. Not wanting to interfere with Robin's fighting, Raven waited for an opportunity to throw a knife at his opponent without putting Robin's life at risk. She received a chance when Robin managed to execute a spinning heel kick to the girl's stomach that sent her staggering backwards. Raven quickly aimed a kunai knife and released it into the air. Fortunately, Raven's aim wasn't too far off and managed to stick to the wall with the girl's uniform trapped behind the blade. The girl tried to make a quick escape, but Robin prevented her from doing so by pointing his staff at her neck and trapping her body with his.

"Talk," Robin growled, barely audible.

"I'm not telling you anything," the girl spat.

Robin's eyebrows knit together in frustration and he dug the end of the bo-staff deeper into her throat. "I'm not going to ask nicely again. What's your name?"

The girl glared at Robin, but he was unable to see that due to her mask. "They call me Ravager."

"Who are they?" Robin urgently asked.

Ravager laughed. "The society I work with."

"Who's in this society?"

"It doesn't matter who else is in the group. The leader of the group, Slade, he will annihilate you single-handedly!"

In Robin's excitement in uncovering information, his grip had loosened. Ravager quickly took advantage of this by kneeing Robin in the stomach and shoving him into a glass bookshelf. Before Raven could do anything, Ravager had already leapt out the window, probably going into hiding.

Even though Robin was injured on the glass littered floor and Raven was stock-still nearby, both of the occupants of the room were thinking of the same thing. _Who is Slade?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN –** Well, there you have it: the latest chapter in Justice League Academy: Obstacles. When I get around to revising this story, I'm definitely going to rework this one because it seems kind of choppy to me. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it. The next chapter should be posted quicker than this one since it's going to be considerably shorter. Anyway, I think you guys will really like the ending for that chapter.

**Questions To Think About: **  
>Who's the reporter Kid Flash was eyeing?<br>Will Speedy and Starfire go out on another date?  
>Will anybody find out where Robin hides the R-Cycle?<br>Will Kole manage to free the man in the chunk of ice?  
>Will Kole's injury be treated?<br>Why is Astoria so curious about Jeremy's life?  
>Why are Astoria's memories about her family so painful?<br>How will Jeremy's knowing of her dual identity affect Astoria's relationship with him?  
>Is there an ulterior motive behind Astoria kissing Jeremy?<br>Will Solstice find her prince charming?  
>Is there a reason for Argent's and Solstice's demeanor changes?<br>Why does Solstice have a knife in her room?  
>What was the purpose behind setting fire to the bowling alley?<br>Will Speedy and Ravager have another confrontation?  
>Will Tally Man II and the Great White Shark escape confinement?<br>Why aren't Raven's powers working?  
>Who's in the society that Ravager is a part of?<br>What role will Slade play in this story?

Thanks for reading!


	15. Obsessions and Shish Kebabs

Back at the hotel, Raven carefully nursed Robin's injuries, much to his annoyance. She had cautiously removed the glass from his skin at the apartment and had called a cab in order to avoid another repeat of the driving fiasco. Before they exited the apartment, Raven had found a tarp in a cabinet and wrapped it around the R-Cycle. The Azarathian also made the obstinate teenager put on a long coat to hide the cuts on his skin. It also prevented the cab driver from being able to fully see the costume Robin wore.

Robin winced when the antiseptic Raven was using came in contact with one of his wounds. He tried to swat away the cloth that was being used to apply the medicine. "Raven, I'm fine! This is nothing compared to some of the injuries I've faced."

"Would you have complained if my powers were still working?" Raven asked, struggling once more to clean his injuries.

"Well, no. The technicalities are different, though."

"Either way, the end result is practically the same," Raven gently told him.

Raven gingerly, but firmly, grasped onto Robin's forearm. This act prevented him from being able to escape from the medical attention he was receiving. Raven stared at him, wanting so badly to be able to see his eyes. Robin stared at her and without realizing what he was doing, he started to lean forward. When their lips were only a couple of inches apart, Raven realized what was happening and automatically stood up, moving away from the flexible teenager.

Robin blinked, mentally smacking himself. He felt so stupid right now. Trying to cover up what just happened, Robin asked, "Have your powers ever stopped working before?"

Raven chewed on her lip for a few seconds before hesitantly responding, "This is nothing I have ever experienced before. I'm usually fighting to control my powers. I never realized how large of a role they played in my life and it hasn't even been a day yet."

"Well, I hope we find a solution," Robin genuinely told her.

Raven nodded and awkwardly resumed patching Robin up.

Ten minutes later, Robin told Raven, "You should contact the League and tell them we're coming back to the academy tonight."

"We still need to figure out more information regarding the listening device," Raven informed him, curious as to why he thought their mission was complete.

"We found out who our culprit is," Robin explained. "Ravager and the society she belongs to are responsible for all those deaths. Once we get back to the academy, I'll conduct more research, especially about Slade."

Raven should have known that things were going to go terribly wrong as soon as those words escaped his lips.

**-Meanwhile With Kole-**

Kole stumbled out of the launching pod on the transportation deck. She glanced down at her hand and saw the scabbing, bleeding wound. The profuse bleeding wouldn't stop and it was starting to make her feel woozy. It felt worse than how she imagined a knife penetrating her skin would. Looking as if she were intoxicated, Kole staggered towards the medical bay, hoping somebody would be on duty there. Thankfully, the Martian Manhunter was bustling around the room. It appeared as if he was tidying up the room. However, as soon as Kole literally collapsed into the room, he immediately stopped what he was doing and carried the pink-haired girl over to a metallic bed.

The Martian completed some medical tests, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. As soon as he had set her on the bed, he tried to heal the injury on her hand by stitching it closed, applying creams and other medical drugs, and bandaging it. None of it would work. So, the Martian resorted to other medical tests. The third test showed that a strong poison was running through the teenager's body, polluting her blood. He figured that this was the cause for his inability to heal the wound. Martian Manhunter examined the blood sample he took, attempting to create a curative medication that would counteract the effects of the poison.

Fortunately, the Martian Manhunter managed to create an antidote that would change the poison's course of heading straight to Kole's heart to where it could be flushed out of her system. J'onn hooked her up to a few more machines that would keep her stabilized and prevent her from dying from blood loss. He remained in the room, carefully observing the student for any sudden changes in her body, such as her vital organs.

**-Meanwhile In Hawkgirl's Office-**

"You completely disobeyed my warning!" Hawkgirl fumed. She stared down every single occupant in the room. As soon as she heard the seven members of Class Titan had arrived back to the academy, she had instantly summoned them to her office.

"There wasn't enough time to inform you of the situation," Bumblebee defended.

"Yeah, civilians were getting hurt and we needed to intervene as quickly as possible. Hanging back to contact a member in the Justice League wasn't an option," Kid Flash said, backing up Bumblebee's statement.

"Be as that may, that's no excuse for not bothering to contact the League after the fight was over," Hawkgirl told them. "Besides, if my sources are correct, I believe that the three other members in your class were there. Instead of all hanging back, one of you could have just simply stayed back to talk to a member in the League for just a minute."

"We needed all the help we could get! Every person counted!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Look, you're a very capable group with extraordinary skills and abilities. I'm sure you could have lasted without one member for one minute. Now, as much as I hate to do this, you are all going to receive two weeks' worth of detention."

"What?" Beast Boy yelled. "You told us that if this happened again, it would only be a week of detention!"

"Wanna make it three weeks?"

"No!" Speedy cut in with a sharp tone.

"I'm not trying to be rude or anything," Aqualad said, "but what's with the punishment increase?"

Hawkgirl sighed. "The situation that took place at the bowling alley in Jump City could have been dealt with better. The group of you almost died. You need to learn how to apply your training to every situation possible, or you will face the consequences. Ignoring your training can end your life. Scout the area. Study the inside for all possible escape routes. Make sure you always have a device on you that you can use to contact the League."

"Why are we being punished for it?" Aqualad questioned. "This is sort of like our training, isn't it? It's a lesson we can learn from."

"You're being punished for it because we don't want to risk incompetence. By punishing you, this causes more caution for your outings."

The seven teenagers nodded, not liking this situation.

Hawkgirl smiled apologetically at the students. "Your detentions will begin on Monday. I will personally speak to your individual mentors to make sure none of the detention sessions conflict with your mentoring sessions." As the teenagers stood up to leave, Hawkgirl said, "Oh, and can you inform Lumina about her one week of detention?"

"This vacuums!" Beast Boy proclaimed.

"Vacuums? Don't you mean suck?" Kid Flash prodded.

"Well, yeah, but I don't want the dirty-minded people to get another impression."

_"Only you, BB, only you…"_ Bumblebee sighed.

**-An Hour Later With Astoria-**

Astoria ignored her sulking classmates in the common room and headed straight for her room. A smile graced her swollen lips and a natural flush made her skin look rosy. Jay was an amazing kisser, simple as that. They had gone inside his bedroom, but things didn't heat up beyond a heavy make-out session. Besides, she was able to get closer to completing her goal.

She took her phone out and sent a text to Jeremy. _You know, you're a really good kisser._

Jay's response was almost immediate. _I can do a few other tricks with my mouth. (;_

_Ooh. Like what? (;_

… _I can blow really big balloons with my mouth._

_You're such a tease._

_I try._

Before Astoria could respond to that text message, a gut-wrenching sensation consumed her. She quickly unzipped the secret compartment in her boot and fumbled around with the medicine bottle. Visions of shattered glass, dried blood, and lifeless eyes flitted across her mind, her eyes changing to a glassy appearance. The blonde girl popped a pill into her mouth and swallowed it without the aid of a liquid. Her mouth felt bone-dry and her hands felt abnormally clammy. She gasped a few times, slowly turning back to normal. The redness from her skin had disappeared, her skin looking paler than usual. Ignoring her phone, Astoria stumbled over to her bathroom, preparing to soak in a hot bubble bath. She just hoped she didn't have another episode, for they were becoming more frequent.

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

Raven and Robin had just finished explaining their expedition to Hawkgirl and Green Lantern in Hawkgirl's office. Some details, such as the one bed dilemma, were glossed over while some other details were explained in great detail, focused even on all of the minute details. After all, it was crucial to catch this group of villains.

Green Lantern said, "So, you don't know who's in this organization at all?"

"We have no idea," Raven confirmed, her voice monotonous.

"Aside from Ravager and Slade," Robin interjected, fixing Raven's statement.

"What happened to your arms?" Hawkgirl asked Robin, noticing how several bandages covered his forearms.

This happened to be one of the details that they glossed over. "When we were interrogating Ravager, she surprised me and pushed me into a glass bookshelf."

"Don't you have the ability to heal?" Hawkgirl questioned Raven, genuinely curious.

Raven opened her mouth to tell the Thanagarian that her powers weren't working when Robin spoke for the Azarathian. "She was facing nausea and ultimately fatigue. She offered to heal my injuries with her powers, but I declined. However, she insisted that she help me, even if it meant not using her powers to help with my wounds."

"Very well…" Hawkgirl said with an intelligent gaze as she looked at both of them. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to punish you by giving the two of you a week of detention. Before you ask why, it's because you didn't send reports as often as we would have liked and you didn't inform us about the fight you were involved in."

Robin was about to say something witty regarding her strictness, but decided against it since he was rather tired. Besides, he didn't want the punishment to be added onto, especially if Raven was at risk of sharing the same punishment.

Soon enough, they were dismissed. When they were in another hallway, Raven asked, "Why did you lie?"

"I wanted to protect you," Robin told her softly. "I thought it would make you uncomfortable if you had to tell them about your powers."

Raven was taken aback. "Thank you, Robin. I really do appreciate that."

The two continued walking towards the Class Titan tower. Their hands occasionally brushed against each other, making the atmosphere a little awkward. Raven bit her lip, looking at Robin sideways.

At the steps that led upstairs to the tower, Robin turned around to face Raven and blurted out, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened. I wasn't thinking and I sort of got caught up in the moment. Once again, I'm sorry."

Raven slowly nodded, her mind rather sluggish.

As soon as Raven entered the confines of her room, she settled on her bed and began to meditate. She studied her emotions, searching for any changes in development or anything in relation to that. The Azarathian was pleased to see that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Of course, except for the fact how Boy Wonder plagued her dreams...

* * *

><p>Before they knew it, two weeks had passed. The poison had successfully exited Kole's body and she left the medical bay with a thick layer of gauze wrapped around her hand. Argent and Solstice were still facing bouts of uncharacteristic personalities. Astoria was starting to run low on her pills. Raven's powers still weren't working and she managed to avoid a mentoring session with Zatanna due to an idea inspired by Robin where she faked a stomach flu and a canceled meeting the following week. The members of Class Titan were tired because of their detentions that involved heavy scrubbing, sweeping, and writing lines.<p>

Most importantly, Robin was developing an obsession with Slade.

He started returning to the academy at the last possible moment. He started skipping meals and began doing research in the confines of his room. Other than attending classes and going to detention, Robin basically only left his room to work out in the training room. The only person he talked to was Raven, who personally witnessed all of this and was starting to worry.

On Sunday, _it _happened.

The members of Class Titan were sitting around the living room. Except for Raven, who was reading a book, everybody else was watching a show on the television. Beast Boy had the brilliant idea to check up on Robin in the training room. After five minutes of being in the lion's den, Beast Boy came sprinting out of the room.

"He almost turned me into a shish kebab!" Beast Boy declared, flailing his arms around wildly.

Sighing, Raven shut her book closed and silently made her way to the training room. Upon entry, she saw three punching bags discarded into the corner of the room with grains of sand sprinkled all around the floor. Robin was currently executing jabs, kicks, and punches at another punching bag, applying tremendous force and speed. From her distance, she had to admire his perfect form.

"Beast Boy, I thought—"

Raven cut him off. "It's me."

Robin stopped his antics and looked at her. "What's up?"

"I'm worried, Robin. You're becoming obsessed with Slade. Last week, you came back to the academy soaked in blood. You suffered from deep cuts, Robin. It's almost a miracle how I managed to stymie the bleeding. You're not eating as often as you should and you're probably damaging your vision from all the reading and studying you're doing. It's not healthy, Robin. I'm worried out of my mind about your well-being," Raven ranted, walking towards him.

"Why, Raven?" Robin asked, staring her down.

Without thinking, Raven blurted, "Because believe it or not, I care about you and I don't want to keep seeing you get hurt, Robin. I really don't."

Robin considered this for a few moments while Raven clenched her fists.

And without any warning, Robin kissed her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN –** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

Short chapter. Cliffhanger. What's going to happen next? Anyway, I realized I made a mistake in regards to what class Solstice was in. However, I managed to come up with a rational reason that will be explained in greater detail sooner or later.

**Questions To Think About:**  
>What poison infected Kole?<br>What is Astoria's plan regarding Jay?  
>What are Astoria's pills for and what's up with the visions?<br>Will Robin's obsession with Slade end?  
>Will Raven get her powers back?<br>How will Raven react to the kiss?

Thanks for reading!


	16. The Initiation

Robin didn't know what possessed him to do it. Maybe the sleep deprivation he was facing was affecting his better judgment. Maybe the research he was working on to discover more about Slade was making him want to cling onto something reliable. Maybe, just maybe, he thought Raven looked so cute when the mask she always put on faltered in front of him and her emotions betrayed her stubborn resolve.

He was expecting her to slap him or maybe knee him in the groin. He was expecting her to fly, not literally, might he add, out of the room to hide out in her room. He was expecting her to scream at him. Naturally, he was surprised when she did none of those things.

Even though she pulled away, she didn't race for the exit. Instead, she stared at him with her mouth slightly agape, indicating that she was surprised. A couple of minutes must have passed and Raven still hadn't moved, save for the occasional blink.

Robin awkwardly ran a hand through his hair and instantly regretted it for his hair was damp with sweat due to his intense workout. Trying his best to be nonchalant, Robin wiped the hand on his shorts while avoiding her gaze. After shuffling around for a few more awkward moments, Robin cleared his throat and said, "I guess I should explain, huh?"

Raven blinked rapidly, breaking the shocked trance she was in. Her thoughts were going into overdrive, whereas the assistance her emotions usually provided quickly abandoned her. Go figure. Pushing aside her internal conflict, she nodded. "That might be wise," the Azarathian told him hesitantly.

Flustered, Robin carefully considered his words before saying, "I care about you, Raven. Your dry humor amuses me and I'm able to have battles of wits with you. Despite the issue you face with your emotions, you obviously care for the people around you and I admire that. You're the smartest girl I know, which is remarkable in itself considering how you came from another dimension. Even though you often hide your face, you're one of the most beautiful girls I have ever met. I'd like to believe that I've become more humble and less cocky ever since I've met you."

Robin took a deep breath. "I honestly like you, Raven. You're an amazing girl and I'd like to get the chance to know you better if you'd open up and let me."

With an unexplainable impulse rising in the pit of her stomach, Raven placed her hands on the sides of his face and brought her lips up to his. Out of surprise, Robin didn't respond to the kiss until a few moments later, to which he enthusiastically kissed back.

As soon as Raven's lips came in contact with Robin's lips once more, the jumbled thoughts in her mind seemed to magically clear. Only one thing was on her mind right now and that was the athletically fit boy that made her feel so… _alive. _She felt the presence of an unfamiliar emotion wash over her and quickly discovered that it was the reason for all the grief she had been feeling lately. _Love. _It was such a pesky emotion, known to bring sorrow and frustration in the lives of so many people. Despite that, the strange and alien presence of Love was somehow comforting and reassuring, as well as Robin's embrace. It just felt _right._

Once Raven made that revelation, glass shattered and the room instantly darkened. Robin broke off the kiss, but didn't move away. His hands still remained on her hips _(when had they gotten there?) _as he looked up to the ceiling.

To Raven's confused astonishment, Robin chuckled. "Well, what do you know? I guess I have the magic touch."

Raven lightly punched him in the arm. "I thought you said you were no longer cocky," she remarked with a dry tone to her voice.

Robin clicked his tongue. "Don't you pay attention? I said less, not completely. Anyway, you should have seen me a couple of years ago. I used to taunt my enemies as they went down one by one like there was no tomorrow. Since I've met you, I've been a little more serious."

"You shouldn't have to change who you are for somebody else," Raven told him solemnly.

"A wise policy, but I think the brooding Batman does also played a role." Robin shrugged, glad that he didn't slip up.

"I still can't quite wrap my head around this."

"Neither can I," Robin admitted before grinning. "You kissed me…. Does that mean you return my feelings?"

Raven sighed, feeling uncomfortable. Even though the room was pitch-black, she was sure Robin could see the blush that was spreading across her cheeks. "I don't know, Robin."

And before any more words (or kisses) could be exchanged, Raven raced out of the room.

**-Meanwhile With Solstice-**

Solstice shifted her weight, allowing her to readjust the laundry basket into a more comfortable position that would hopefully prevent the clothes from tumbling out. With a spring in her step that hadn't been seen in quite some time, she made her way to her room. Unfortunately, she crossed paths with Airstorm.

Heather automatically took the basket out of Solstice's hands and started walking with her. "You look like you needed some help," she said, glancing down at Kiran. "Besides, I wanted to have a little chat with you."

Solstice rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Can it wait, Heather? I really have to finish cleaning my room and finish my homework."

"It's not as if it's going to take long," Heather snapped, somehow managing to sound polite.

Solstice conceded, albeit begrudgingly.

Heather set down the laundry basket on Solstice's bed and carefully folded her hands behind her back. "I was doing some thinking," she started off.

"Go on," Kiran urged, wanting to end this meeting.

"I think it would be best if you moved back to your room in Class Tenderfoot."

"Argent personally invited me to stay in this tower since she knew how I felt in Class Tenderfoot," Solstice told the taller girl. "Thunder and Lightning even agreed to the arrangement! After all, they decided that since the two of them wanted to share a room, an empty room would be a waste."

Airstorm smiled sweetly. "Be as that may, if I'm not mistaken, everyone here has had a change of heart. Thunder and Lightning were right in a way. It would be a shame to have this room be useless after you move out. We figured we could raise money to make a little arcade or something. You know, make this place more fun."

"I don't recall ever considering moving out of this room," Solstice slowly said.

"Oh, but you will. Seriously, you're embarrassing yourself here. Go back to your own class and I don't know, make amends or something. They can't hate you _that _much." Heather glanced at the visible kitchen knife that was lying on the floor of the opposite side of the room.

Solstice's eyes followed Airstorm's gaze and she mentally punched herself. With a cold voice that could possibly rival Raven's, she said, "You know what, Heather? You're a _bitch!"_

And with that, Airstorm found herself getting a door slammed in her face….

**-Meanwhile With Lois Lane-**

Lois Lane gingerly carried the two cups of coffee through the crowded coffee shop. It was surprising to find so many caffeine addicted people (ahem, mongrels) in a coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon. Huffing, she plopped herself down in a chair at a table near the back. The reporter handed the other occupant of the table one of the coffees.

"You know, I bet everyone here would have let you skip them in the line had you been in your… ahem, uniform," Lois told Clark Kent.

Clark laughed. "I try to avoid the spotlight, Lois. I'm surprised you took as long as you did, though."

"Yeah, well, having a dad that's a general doesn't get you very far in these kind of situations," was her reply.

"I wasn't referring to that, you know. I was talking about your lack of patience and stubbornness. Although, I suppose that could work, too."

"I have patience! And I am _not_ stubborn!" Lois indignantly snorted.

"You're the most stubborn woman I know, Lois. You and Bruce."

"I wasn't aware that Bruce didn't come equipped with a certain body part," Lois joked. "That kind of story right there would boost my career further along. Which brings me back to why I asked you to come here… why can't I write an article on what transpired around Benson Hill?"

"League business is strictly confidential, Lois. Besides, we're not entirely sure what we're dealing with quite yet," Clark answered with a calm air about him.

"How's that girl holding up anyway?" Lois asked, resigning yet another story.

"She's upset, obviously. She found out that her two heroes weren't as perfect as she had imagined. It's a lot to deal with. Overall, I think she'll manage. She may not seem like it, but she's a strong girl."

"What about the father?"

Clark took a sip of his coffee, ignoring the scalding sensation that greeted his tongue. "He resigned his post as a district attorney. He feels so guilty that he even put himself behind bars, believe it or not."

"That's definitely hard to believe," Lois said. "Are you sure I can't write that article? The story is amazing. An escaped convict that's incognito due to a twisted plan he cooked up? That's excellent reading material!"

"Lois, we already went over this. Roxanne was speculating and we still don't have all the details. You have to let the League handle this business, alright?"

Lois sighed. "Fine."

A nearby television on the wall alerted Clark. A newswoman was reporting a robbery that was currently taking place on the other side of Metropolis. Outside witnesses claimed people were being held hostage and one of the goons had a bomb strapped to his chest.

"Duty calls," Clark told his girlfriend with a shrug.

"Too bad there aren't any phone booths around." Lois smiled, heavily insinuating the wardrobe malfunctions he faced when a crisis arose.

"I think a bathroom stall will suffice for once," he said before disappearing before the blink of an eye.

**-Later That Night-**

"We are gathered here tonight on this very fine full moon in order to induct some new members into the secret society Project Armageddon," a feminine voice announced, unidentifiable due to the darkness that filled the room.

Suddenly, an array of torches along the walls flared up, adding light to the room in a very ghost-like manner. The room was circular with chalky, gray floors and bare walls. With enough light, one would be able to see signs of dried blood and bile. A small stage was transitioned in the center of the room with a wooden podium and three chairs placed on top of it. Surrounding the stage were a plethora of chairs filled with intently listening folks. Overall, the room emitted a creepy atmosphere and could send chills down your spine. It could easily be a dungeon without a doubt.

The woman on the stage, revealed to be the headmistress at H.I.V.E. Academy, cleared her throat. "The purpose of this society is very important with our awe-inspiring goals that will bring a difference to the world and our will to end the Justice League. It is an immense honor to be accepted into this group for we only accept the best of the best."

The elderly woman glanced behind her to look at the two similarly dressed villains that were with her on the stage. They both wore masks and gave off a cold vibe. Headmistress shook her head and focused once more on the task at hand. "Mistakes will not be tolerated. Any plans will be carefully considered for futile attempts will not tolerable. Our time to strike back has come and we shall not let it pass. A new era is rising, one that will forever change Earth's destiny!"

A smattering of applause was heard and the old woman gave the barest traces of a smile with her thin lips. "I will be calling the names of the new members, as well as a small introduction. When your name is called, you will make your way across the stage and receive your communication device. Information in regards to future missions and plans will be stored onto the device and other notes will be sent as soon as they are available."

The man on the stage frowned slightly. His patience was running thin, which strayed quite a bit from good. This woman's incessant chatter about the mission of Project Armageddon was rather tiresome. Everyone in the room knew the details so it was entirely pointless and was wasting precious time. Even though he was known to be very patient, he wanted to destroy the Justice League and anybody who was in affiliation with them very much so. He had a vendetta against a particular core member in the superhero team and wanted to watch the look of complete terror on their face as he dished out the killing death stroke.

But sadly, it would have to wait. Either way, Slade would not be denied his right.

"I welcome to you, Control Freak, the man with the ability to warp reality with just the click of a button!" Headmistress introduced. An overweight and unshaven man stumbled onto the stage to receive his communicator that would indicate he wasn't a failure and was actually a part of something.

"The Amazing Mumbo, the tricky magician with an eye for theft and mayhem!" A skinny man with a pointy nose and turquoise-colored skin gracefully made his way onto the stage, looking quite pleased with himself.

"I introduce you to Punk Rocket, the musical anarchist that will surely bring about chaos!" A man with several piercings and an orange jumpsuit slowly walked onstage, guitar in hand. He offered to give a demo to the headmistress's chagrin.

"Mother Mae-Eye, the woman who is bound to put you under her spell with her sweets!" A couple of immature catcalls followed the plump woman onto the stage.

"Red X, the sneaky thief with conniving tendencies and vast acrobatic abilities!" A costumed guy leisurely headed for the stage, seeming arrogant, laid-back, and cool all at once.

_Jinx. Gizmo. Mammoth. Wrestling Star. Angel. Puppet King. Overload. Katarou. Johnny Rancid. Kardiak. Plasmus. Cinderblock. And so the list went on, thieves, killers, and mischief-lovers galore._

After every new member received a communicating device, the headmistress said, "Remember, by accepting your communicator, you have sworn allegiance to us. Each and every one of us have a common goal: destroy the Justice League and the children that attend that academy of theirs. We must work together or watch everything blow up in our faces. Remain vigilant, lay low, and begin training for success. We have achieved much and we _will _achieve more despite all the obstacles we'll face. Against all odds, we will bring about a new dawn! Kill those so-called heroes and we will rule the Earth!"

A booming applause filled the room, echoing eerily from the walls. It was sinisterly satisfying to the ears of the criminals. While this was taking place, the headmistress looked off to the side to see a figure dressed in an outfit with gold and silver symbols. The headmistress subtly nodded and the figure, who had been paying rapt attention during the meeting, swiftly exited the building, escaping the attention of everybody except the ones who occupied the stage.

"The next phase of our plan will be beginning shortly. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, particularly since I think your minds will be swimming with ideas of the different scenarios that could take place. Anyway, the next chapter will focus more on the mundane school stuff of the story, as well as progressing the plot.

**Questions To Think About:**  
>How did Raven get her powers back?<br>Will Raven and Robin begin dating?  
>Is there another reason why Airstorm wants Solstice to move out?<br>Will Solstice do what Airstorm asked?  
>Where is Project Armageddon's meeting place located?<br>What member of the Justice League does Slade have a vendetta against?  
>Who was the figure standing off to the side of the stage during the meeting?<br>What's the next phase of Project Armageddon's plan?

Thanks for reading!


	17. Taxing Challenges and Mania

"I am officially scarred for life," Kid Flash said, a few good hours after curfew.

"What do you mean?" Speedy asked from his position on the couch.

"Well, earlier today I sort of ate the majority of the food in our personal fridge. Since there wasn't anything decent to eat here, I snuck out of the dorm to snag some food from the cafeteria. I quietly enter the room to find Green Lantern and Hawkgirl getting it on! On our lunch table!"

Speedy was unfortunate enough to have a mouthful of soda in his mouth when he heard those words come out of Kid Flash's mouth. The majority of the dark liquid got on his own clothes, instantly staining them.

Wiping away at his chin, Speedy questioned, "Did they see you?"

"They were a little too occupied to see me," Kid Flash informed his friend. "You should be glad it wasn't you that walked in on them, though. His butt is something you definitely don't want to see. And let me tell you, it seemed to be jiggling in my direction on purpose!" Kid Flash shuddered.

"I really didn't need to hear that," Speedy quietly said, wincing at the mental image.

"I don't think I'll be able to look at them with a straight face now!" . ?docid=28616869

"And you just had to bring me down with you, didn't you?"

"Oh, come on! I know you have the hots for Hawkgirl! Oh, wait, it's the other ginger," Kid Flash said, implying how Speedy had a crush on Starfire. He ducked in time to avoid a pillow that was chucked in his direction.

"Shut up," Speedy told his friend, blushing.

"Well, if you don't mind me, I think I'm going to erase those images from my mind by watching some _very _triggering, but better, images. Try not to miss me too much." Kid Flash started leaving the room, but paused. "You might want to invest in a bib, by the way." He barely avoided the spiraling remote control aimed for his face. "Once again, you're too slow!"

**-The Next Day-**

"You're not a shish kebab!" Beast Boy exclaimed the following morning when he saw that Raven was alive and well. Physically, at least. On the inside, she was bubbling with emotional stress, ranging from confusion to anger to some degree. Thankfully, she wasn't a therapist.

"I noticed," Raven wryly remarked.

The members of Class Titan made their way to the cafeteria to eat a hearty breakfast. Surprisingly, Robin was with them, something they had grown unaccustomed to lately, with his frantic research on Slade and all. Even though this was a vast improvement, he still looked distracted. Despite this, he led the group of teenagers, which could possibly explain how he ran into somebody.

It was a girl in Class Honorary, her name being Airstorm if Raven wasn't mistaken. She stumbled and Robin automatically steadied her by placing his hands on her hips. Even though the look on Robin's face didn't convey any emotions extending beyond friendship and concern, Raven felt a surge of emotion in the pit of her stomach from a familiar, but uncommon, emotion. The feeling deepened when she saw the girl smile, twirling a piece of hair around a finger in what could be considered a flirtatious manner. She also nonchalantly moved closer to Robin so their bodies were slightly brushing against one another.

"I'm really sorry about that," she apologized sincerely. Personally, Raven believed that she orchestrated all of this in order to get a chance to talk to her Robin.

"It's fine," Robin told her, a lazy grin spreading across his face. "Airstorm, right?"

"That's me," she said happily. "You can call me Heather if you'd like, though."

"Well, Heather, where are you going at such an early hour when you could be eating a delicious breakfast?"

"This morning I was in a rush and I forgot to bring my bag with me. I didn't want to sprint through the labyrinth of halls and risk being late to Atom's class. Therefore, I'm possibly saving my hind from scrubbing floors or writing lines. Besides, Argent needed to copy some homework and is saving me a seat," the skinny girl informed him.

Not finding this scene very amusing, Beast Boy impatiently yelled, "Dudes! Some of us are starving and you're blocking the doorway!"

Heather smiled contritely. "If you ever need anything, don't ever hesitate to ask. After all, I probably owe you one since you probably just saved me from getting a wicked bruise on my hip." With a smile fixated upon her face, she retreated towards her class tower.

Robin watched the female member of Class Honorary walk away, but had the decency to step out of the way for his fellow classmates. They all entered the cafeteria, starving. Along with Robin, Raven was the last person in the group to walk into the huge room.

Shaking his head, Robin crept up behind Raven and huskily whispered in her ear, "You know, jealousy isn't a good look on you."

Raven blushed and quickened her pace with her head down. She sat down in the seat Astoria had saved for her, therefore making her also sit next to Starfire. Thankfully, this was the farthest she could get away from Robin. If he remained in close proximity to her, something was bound to blow up. Since she had lost her appetite, she didn't bother getting up and piling aromatic, savory food onto a plate. However, once the line was cleared out, she went over to pour herself a cup of herbal tea.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Raven craned her head to the side to come face to face with a boy in Class Honorary. He had a defined jaw and a nose that was angled to the left slightly, giving her an impression that it had been broken at some point. Triangularly shaped eyebrows highlighted his dark eyes, seemingly alert and serious. His shoulder-length black hair was pulled up into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck with a few strands framing his angular face. Black leggings covered his legs, stopping mid-calf. The same materials covered his forearms; it seemed like it had the ability to show his muscles a little better. The boy's torso was clad in a custom-made tunic with a blue sash that securely held his weapon of choice, a hachiwara. Raven remembered that his name was Bushido. She was actually surprised to have forgotten him since he managed to best Robin in a hand-to-hand combat session.

Bushido noticed the expression on Raven's face and decided to elaborate a little bit. "You look frustrated. Is anything wrong?"

Raven bit her lip, thinking about the repercussions she would face if she told this boy she hardly knew about her troubles. In the end, she opted for a vague, "Nothing I can't handle on my own."

"Well, I don't mean to pry… But, I'd bet my jutte that the reason for your worries is that secret admirer you have over there." Raven followed his gaze and saw Robin staring in her direction with an obviously clenched fist.

"He probably thinks you're flirting with me," Raven said, more to herself than the skilled swordsman.

"Well, between you and me, I'm harboring a crush on someone else."

Raven sent him a curious glance. "Oh?"

Bushido did a mixture of a shrug and grimace. "There's a slight problem, however, seeing as how I've never actually talked to her…."

Raven could be dense in these types of situations, but she was in no way stupid. "What exactly are you proposing?"

Bushido considered his words for a few moments as he poured a cup of coffee into a cheap Styrofoam cup. "Why don't we make a deal of sorts? I'll help you with your love life if you help me with mine."

"Who said I had a love life?" Raven asked, not wanting rumors to spread about her relationship with Boy Wonder since she wasn't even entirely sure where they stood.

Bushido's eyebrows knit together in slight confusion. "You mean to tell me that the constant looks between the two of you means absolutely nothing?"

Raven sighed in exasperation. "What do you want?"

"I was hoping that you could maybe talk to Starfire for me and say good things about me. I realize I don't know her very well, but I would love the opportunity to get to know her better."

Raven glanced back at the Class Titan table. Starfire and Speedy currently had what was referred to as a budding relationship. They weren't dating like Argent and Hot Spot or Kid Flash and Jesse Quick, but they often acted like a couple. Starfire would get shy and nervous around Speedy while he often found himself tongue-tied with undeniable nerves and sweaty palms. Some people would think their relationship was cute. Raven, on the other hand, had the urge to brush her teeth after being around them.

"I'm not sure I can do that," Raven quietly told the swordsman. "After all, I'm not very close to either of them." It wasn't really a lie, though. It's not like she and Starfire would spend hours gossiping and doing each other's hair. She and Speedy weren't very close, either. In spite of that, she still considered them friends. As an afterthought, she added, "I'm sorry."

"I am, too, I guess." Bushido shrugged. "I guess I'm no longer going to knock some sense into Robin and kick his ass."

Raven smiled weakly. "Nothing's stopping you." The Azarathian then walked away, leaving a speechless Bushido in her wake.

When Raven arrived once more at the table, Beast Boy was trying to convince Cyborg that a flying moped would be a brilliant idea. Cyborg, on the other hand, was inclined to disagree. An unusual glint in Cyborg's eye told Raven that he was planning something, although it was most likely not putting a flying moped into production.

Kid Flash looked at Speedy for a few seconds, a sardonic grin spreading across his face. Wanting Beast Boy to stop going on about the pure genius behind his idea, he said, "Hey, why don't we play truth or dare?" After a majority vote was taken, Kid Flash asked Beast Boy the dreaded question.

Beast Boy weighed his options for a few moments. While dares could be humiliating, they were pure, utter fun. Truths could be absolutely tedious and you could wind up with drastic results if the question was truly terrible. At last, Beast Boy selected dare.

"I dare you to lick the table… right there." Kid Flash carefully gestured at the approximate area of where the deed of last night was completed. He made sure not to touch it and feigned a look of pure innocence.

Beast Boy had a bad feeling about this now. "Do I have to?"

"It's either that or eat a big, juicy hamburger loaded with greasy, delectable strips of bacon. Your choice."

Looking sick to his stomach, Beast Boy reluctantly leaned over the table and began licking the area Kid Flash had indicated. He continued doing this for five more seconds before bolting back up. Grimacing, he inquired, "Why is it so sticky and salty?"

Speedy and Kid Flash looked at each other before howling in manic laughter. The other occupants of the room worriedly looked over, wondering what was going on. It seemed like the two gingers were having a psychotic breakdown, which probably wasn't too far off from the truth.

"I don't get how this is so funny," Bumblebee stated as the two teenagers continued chuckling merrily.

Flabbergasted, Beast Boy exclaimed, "Aqualad, truth or dare?"

With the knowledge that Beast Boy wasn't as cruel as _some_ people, Aqualad automatically answered, "Let's go with dare."

"I dare you to…" Beast Boy thought for a minute or so. "I dare you to run around the cafeteria screaming how the British are coming like Paul Bunyan."

Cyborg snorted. "Don't you mean Paul Revere?"

"Same thing," Beast Boy responded.

The group of super powered teenagers watched as Aqualad stood up. He stood still for a split second before grabbing Beast Boy's empty plate and a spoon. Leaving his bemused friends in his wake, he began running around the cafeteria, banging the spoon against the small plate. "The British are coming, the British are coming!" he constantly exclaimed. Before he ended his stunt, he jumped on the table Class Honorary more or less took up. "Save the whales!"

The next thing that took place was comical to say the least. Once Aqualad had announced to the surrounding individuals to aid him in his cause, someone from the Class Tenderfoot area hurled a greasy strip of bacon at the Atlantean. The greasy food item smacked him in the nose and his eyebrows bunched up as he tried to catch a glimpse of the bacon through his crossed eyes.

And with that, a food fight arose.

Using his stretching abilities, a boy named Offspring reached over to the food line and grabbed a container of hot sauce, a valuable weapon to ward off those who came too close. One squirt in the eye and you would be down for the count. Pantha jumped out of her seat and rolled over to a vacant table. Once she flipped it over to its side, it acted as a perfect shield. Kid Flash and Jesse Quick used their speed to their advantage by pelting everybody with various foods quickly and efficaciously as they also managed to avoid blows of their own. Speedy was getting rid of the food flying at him by efficiently using his arrows, protecting both himself and Starfire. Phantasm was stupid enough to crack an egg over Risk's head and found himself with over a dozen salsa packets stuffed in his mouth. It was pure chaos.

Seeing the stupidity in all of this, Raven transported herself out of the spacious room via phasing through the floor. She found herself in the faintly lit hallway where their first period class was located. The Azarathian also found herself face to face with Robin.

Raven instinctively backed away from him. Obviously flustered, she asked, "How did you get here so quickly?"

Robin feigned cluelessness. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You were just in the cafeteria!"

"So were you, my dearest Raven," he said in a sing-song voice.

"Don't call me that," Raven snapped. "Unless you suddenly developed powers overnight, which I seriously doubt, it should have taken you awhile to get here. How did you do it?"

"I'm afraid that if I tell you, I'd have to kill you." He grinned, his smile frustratingly tantalizing.

Raven could tell that he was acting as if what transpired yesterday never happened. She felt a sharp pang of emotion burst inside of her like a golden flame. Agitatedly, she squelched the flare-up by clearing her mind before something blew up due to her lack of control. Admittedly, the two kisses between them replayed in her mind over and over again, particularly the passionate one where she kissed him back. She scarcely managed to scrape up two hours of sleep, rendering her exceptionally exhausted.

Meditation hadn't helped Raven in the slightest. Robin was plaguing her mind and there was nothing she could do about it. If she exited the stage of denial, there would be the risk of ending the world due to her spiraling emotions. Also, Trigon was a definite possibility. However, if she didn't admit her feelings (therefore letting the denial build up within her), she was bound to go insane, which would still most likely make things explode. They weren't very pleasant options.

"You're doing it again," Raven said without thinking over her words.

Robin raised his eyebrows. "Doing what?"

"Being cocky."

Even though his eyes were covered, Raven could see revelation dawn on him as he figured out what she was referring to. He frowned for a moment or two before snapping, "Well, it's like you said. You shouldn't have to change who you are for somebody."

Raven's jaw dropped as she watched him walk away, pausing only to tell Question, who had been hurrying up to print some copies of a worksheet, how there was a food fight going on. The faceless man rushed past Raven as if she was invisible, which she might as well be. After all, Robin's words had managed to make her feel so petty.

Ten minutes later, every single member of Class Titan was sitting in their first class of the day, Detective Work and Interrogation. Unsurprisingly, Batman was absent from his teaching duties. For the past two weeks, he had been seen rarely. As the Question chastised the group of teenagers for the behavior in the cafeteria, Raven glanced at Robin using her peripheral vision. Their eyes, or rather, a pair of eyes and a mask, met. Raven quickly looked away, blushing.

"With Halloween coming up in less than a month, the Justice League was planning on having a party to help the students at the academy feel normal teenaged aspects once again. However, these plans might change due to the little stunt that was pulled today." Question looked pointedly at Aqualad, who was easily had the worst appearance. Hot sauce clung to his hair in a cobweb-like manner, while syrup drenched his feet for his so-called friend Tramm had poured a generous amount of the sticky substance in his boots. Cream cheese from a bagel stained his unitard, mischievously located in the groin area. Unfortunately for the Atlantean, he would have to suffer until they had lunch break.

The Question continued his speech. "Originally, we were going to have you select partners and work on differential missions involving clues to solve and lead you one step closer to solving your particular mystery. This would have acted as a practice for the practical exam you'll be taking near the end of the school year. Seeing as how Batman isn't here, however, I'm afraid that particular lesson will have to be postponed."

Cyborg astutely raised his hand and spoke when Question called on him. "Why are we unable to do this lesson today, exactly?"

"I lack the equipment needed for the planned lesson. Besides, the crimes you were going to be working on aren't set up at the moment. Therefore, we'll be working on what's considered to be textbook perfect interrogation methods." Disappointed groans followed this announcement. Everybody in the class preferred the hands on activities in the class to lengthy discussions.

"There are several ways to go when dealing with interrogation. Batman generally works with the intimidation route. One of his preferred methods is hanging somebody upside down by their leg on a tall building. Batman's also a master at disguise, meaning he can sometimes snake information from people by blending in with them. I would normally advise you against this method since it's more dangerous and risky, especially if they're armed."

The Question continued with the class, talking about various interrogation techniques. He would occasionally spout out the cons to a method. After he finished naming some methods, he would come up with different scenarios and call on the students to ask them how they would go about with their interrogating. In all, they all believed the lesson was a little tedious, but very informative.

On their way to Weaponry, Astoria grabbed Raven's arm and pulled her away from the rest of their peers to talk to her in private. "You know how that one girl ran into Robin before we went into the cafeteria?"

Raven nodded, unsure of where this conversation was heading.

"She told him that Argent needed to copy her homework and was saving her a seat inside. I've known Argent for a few years and she never copies homework. She's a firm believer in doing things yourself because of some weird reason about feeling accomplished on not relying on others all the time. Well, I'm positive that that's not the exact reason, but it should be pretty close to it. Anyway, even if Argent's morals have changed, she wasn't even in the lunch room this morning."

"Why were you paying so close attention to it?" asked Raven. To someone else, Raven's tone might sound accusatory and suspicious.

Astoria sighed. "I wouldn't have noticed if Aqualad hadn't jumped on that table. I also noticed that Airstorm never even came back. When some of the members of the Justice League were bitching us out, they did a headcount. Neither of them was there."

"What are you trying to tell me, Astoria?" Raven asked, stopping in front of the classroom door.

"I'm just saying that I think something's up," the blonde told the violet-haired empath before walking into Weaponry.

Upon entering the room, the two girls were immediately assaulted by both Green Arrow and Hawkgirl. Raven summoned a shield and Green Arrow's arrows harmlessly bounced off. Hawkgirl's mace, however, was an entirely different story. The mace, composed of Nth metal, was extremely powerful, causing Raven's shield to collapse with just three blows. At the last possible moment, Raven twisted to the left to avoid a collision with the Thanagarian's weapon. Grunting, Astoria dropped down to all fours and hid behind a propped shield to evade the arrows. Meanwhile, the other members of Class Titan were intently watching the two battles with excitement.

Tired of constantly dodging and ducking, Raven teleported over to where Robin was standing and swiftly kicked him into the waiting clutches of a seemingly angry Thanagarian. Robin pulled off a few acrobatic stunts, allowing him to stay out of the fray as Hawkgirl continued her onslaught against the Azarathian.

On the other side of the room, Astoria was still cowardly hiding behind the shield, which was increasingly becoming dented. Swearing a little too loudly, she flung the shield at Green Arrow's head and focused her energies at him. The blonde girl projected an apocalyptic image where the Justice League was being destroyed by malicious entities and villains. She let out a sigh of relief when Green Arrow dropped to his knees, an arrow lying forgotten beside him. Astoria considered taking away his arrows while he was still distracted by the effigy, but decided against it since she didn't fancy the idea of being pummeled later.

Raven slid out of reach of the Thanagarian's weapon and sent a bucket flying at her current adversary using her powers. Unsurprisingly, Hawkgirl managed to avoid the object. The Justice League founding member advanced forward while Raven counted down in her head. At the appropriate moment, a large storage closet burst open and Raven executed an admittedly sloppy sweeping side kick. Fortunately, this caught the Thanagarian by surprise and the momentum sent her crashing inside the cabinet. Before she could exit and unleash her wrath on Raven again, Raven shut the door closed with her magic. As a second thought, a wooden plank reinforced the closure.

Trying her best to ignore the beating sounds and cries, Raven looked at Astoria, who was looming over the archer. Astoria shrugged and looked at her fellow Class Titans. She queried, "What was that?"

"You were late," Aqualad answered simply, a lazy grin spread across his features.

"That gives them the right to try and kill us!" Astoria yelled.

Green Arrow slowly stood up, shaking the images out of his mind. The imagery was absolutely terrible, but _so _believable. Clearing his throat, he declared, "Hawkgirl and I were testing your reflexes, while hopefully persuading you to hurry up to class next time in the process."

Raven flinched involuntarily. Having the decency to look the slightest bit sheepish, she freed Hawkgirl from the enclosed space. The Thanagarian glared at the Azarathian for a few seconds, leading Raven to believe that the alien was claustrophobic. Embarrassed, she nonchalantly raised her hood to hide her features.

Green Arrow said, "While your efforts could have been slightly different, you were quick on your feet. You just managed to avoid a detention, barely."

The rest of the class period whizzed by with Hawkgirl often glaring at Raven at sporadic intervals. This made Raven wonder if the founding Justice League member was receiving glaring lessons from Batman. After that thought crossed her mind, she found herself looking at Robin to see him studying her. She cursed herself when her robotic dummy landed a hit on her. The mace in Raven's hand felt like a dead weight in her hand. If it wasn't an inanimate object, it would probably be laughing at her for her distractedness and continuous hits from a mere dummy.

Luckily for the dark empath, their next class was a bit better. Black Canary was a great teacher when it came to hand-to-hand combat. She was very helpful in her advice and had several approaches to helping the teenagers master certain skills. Wonder Woman was little stricter, but she was considerate and thoughtful when it came down to her teaching methods.

Upon their arrival, Black Canary announced, "We won't be doing our routine stretches today. Instead, we have a little guest appearance from one of the members of the Justice League. He might not be as familiar with hand-to-hand as we are, but he's a valuable asset to the team. He's a veteran U.S. Marine and has an incredibly strong will."

After those words were uttered, Green Lantern entered the room with what looked like a gym bag strapped across his chest. He nodded to the two instructors as a sign of greeting. Green Lantern set the bag onto the ground and leaned forward to remove something from a tiny side pocket.

"Not the butt! Not the butt!" Kid Flash exclaimed, looking aghast. Speedy, who was standing beside the speedster, snickered at his friend's reaction.

Green Lantern glanced at the speedster in what could be considered a concerned manner. Shaking his head, he opened up his hand to reveal his ring lying in his palm. "This is the Oan power ring that was gifted to me by the Guardians. As I'm sure you all know, whoever wields the ring is limited by their will for it is a power of the mind. This ring is one of the best weapons around and it isn't given to just anybody. However, I found that it's better to come prepared for all possible scenarios. No matter how great your weapon is, you should always have a backup plan. That's why training with weapons and learning hand-to-hand combat is a fundamental part of your academics."

Green Lantern nodded with satisfaction when he saw the students paying rapt attention to his words. "I find that my time with the USMC has proved most valuable because I learned combat skills. These skills have shown to be of use on the few occasions where my ring was taken away from me. While my techniques are probably not as effective as the skills Wonder Woman and Black Canary are showing you, I hope you will find them satisfactory and use them one day."

The period was spent with Green Lantern demonstrating some basic maneuvers that would definitely come in handy when simplicity was their best bet. He showed them the best way to use a combat knife on an opponent. Additional to that, he told a couple of stories about when he was in the Marines, as well as a few tales about how he applied that training to his current career. They listened to his advice and practiced the combat moves. In all, it was a pretty good lesson.

For once, Battle Strategies with Martian Manhunter was very interesting. After everyone had taken a seat, he proclaimed, "We will be working out in the field today. You will be split up into two teams, which I have already done the pleasure in selecting. However, the decision of a team leader will be up to you. After I tell you who's in your group, you will have ten minutes to get to the transportation deck. During this time, you will be able to change, pick up any communication devices you may have, and more equipment. Once there, I will explain more about the details of this field lesson. Unfortunately, the length of this exercise will prevent you from attending your lunch break."

Martian Manhunter proceeded to divide them into their groups. Raven was pleased to find out that Robin wasn't in her group. Her group consisted of Cyborg, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Bumblebee, and herself. The five teenagers walked over to one of the corners of the room to discuss who would be their team leader. Bumblebee believed they should keep away from the other team's prying ears.

"So… Who's the leader here?" Kid Flash asked as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Well," Cyborg said, "I think our leader should be somebody that doesn't act too rashly and studies the situation from all angles before jumping in. They should respect their teammates and not expect them to do the very impossible for we all have limits. Attributes such as intelligence and strength should also play a factor."

Bumblebee placed a hand on her hip. "Sounds an awful lot like you, Sparky."

Cyborg seemed surprised. "I don't really consider myself leadership material. In fact, I was leaning towards you, Bumblebee."

"Well, let's look at it this way. No doubt the other team is going to pick Boy Wonder over there. You possess a lot of the qualities he has. I believe that you would win in a fight against him, your main setback being how he has more experience than you. You would honestly make a great leader, Cy." Bumblebee glanced at Raven when she mentioned Robin and smiled slightly when she saw the Azarathian glance at the acrobatic superhero out of the corner of her eye. Why wouldn't they just admit there was attraction between the two?

"All in favor of Cyborg raise thy hand," Kid Flash chimed.

Immediately, Kid Flash and Bumblebee raised their hands. Aqualad and Raven, on the other hand, pondered this notion. In Raven's opinion, Bumblebee and Cyborg were natural leaders. While Cyborg was a little more reserved, the two of them just had an energy that could intrigue you and bring you right in. To be honest, she wouldn't mind if either one of them was the leader of this makeshift team. Despite this, she raised her hand. Aqualad followed her example.

Bumblebee clapped her hands. "So, it's settled. Sparky is the leader."

Martian Manhunter asked them to announce their selected leaders. So much for keeping it secret. Unsurprisingly, Robin was chosen as the leader for his team. Once they finished announcing it, the Martian jotted it down on a piece of paper and dismissed them. Before he phased through the floor, he told them that they better not be late.

After Raven ensured that it was fine for her fellow team members, she teleported them to their tower. This gave them a slight advantage since they had more time to prepare their equipment. It also allowed them to gather all the supplies they were going to bring with them on the mission before Robin's team could see them, therefore giving them a slight advantage.

Bumblebee, Aqualad, and Kid Flash quickly went into the rooms to change out of their dirty uniforms. While they did that, Cyborg led Raven into his room, where she was surprised to find that it wasn't very personal. The walls were bare and no pictures could be seen to bring about a lively air. Instead, it was very organized, despite the small clutter of small pieces of technology.

"Try to keep a lookout, will you? I wouldn't put it past the other team to send Beast Boy to be a fly on the wall," Cyborg told her as he walked over to his large desk.

Raven nodded somberly. She watched him push aside some gear, as well as opening drawers to remove something from its contents. Occasionally, she would examine the walls and doorway to make sure a green bug wasn't hovering nearby. Once their three teammates reappeared, Raven gave up on checking for any signs of Beast Boy. She had to devote her full attention to the information Cyborg was going to dish out.

Cyborg showed the group a circular device. The cover had the letter 'T' plastered in the center in white, surrounded by black. The rim of the device was yellow with small buttons on the lower right hand side; the buttons were separated by a black divider-type design. The upper left side had a small antenna sticking out.

"This is a project I've been working on ever since the whole fiasco in Jump City," Cyborg explained. "So far, I've only managed to make six, but that's enough for this mission. I'd like to call it the Titans Communicator, or the T-Communicator for short. I've spent a few days planning out the design before actually starting on it. I'm actually quite pleased with the results."

Cyborg then delved into the information of the communicator. Technically, it was supposed to be just a briefing of the main schematics, but it turned out to be a full-fledged description. It had a built-in screen with a microphone underneath the cover, allowing video calls between owners of the communicator developed by Cyborg. In addition to that, the T-Communicator contained a tracking device, which would come perfectly in handy if a person in possession of the device went messing. Unfortunately, it would be rendered useless if it was confiscated and pulverized.

The cybernetic teenager passed the communicators out. He quickly warned them to make sure it was in a safe position on their person, for it might be imperative to have it in case they were split up. Cyborg then proceeded to hand them chips to pin on their clothing. A quicker explanation informed that since they didn't know where they would end up, the abilities of the chip might be beneficial. A small, almost undetectable button would allow them to change their costumes with four settings available: stealthy, swimming appropriate, cold weather, and their original costume.

After Cyborg finished explaining the powers behind the technology, Raven teleported the five of them to the transportation deck where Martian Manhunter was patiently waiting. They were mildly surprised to see that Robin's team wasn't around. Not that they were complaining.

Two minutes later, the other team showed up. Martian Manhunter chastised them for being late before diving into the objective on their mission. "The coordinates on the two pods you will be traversing in have already been entered. Despite being on different sides of the Earth, the two missions are identical and will be overseen by Sarah Simms and myself."

Cyborg watched mutely as Sarah Simms stepped onto the deck with a clipboard clutched to her chest. She flashed a warm smile in his direction before standing beside the Martian.

"I won't be spoiling the mission, but I can tell you what your objective is. Your goal is to dispatch the enemies and save the hostages. Seeing as how we were delayed, time is also of the essence. While this isn't going to be graded, you will be scored. The team with the highest score will win a prize. Unfortunately, the team led by Robin has already had points deducted due to their tardiness. Now, I wish you all the best of luck and hope this prepares you for your practical exam at the end of the year, as well as establish a stronger connection for working together as a team."

The teenagers boarded their respectable launching pod. Cyborg was pleased to find Sarah accompanying his team. Once they were actually sitting down, however, he felt incredibly awkward since Sarah was sitting to his right and Bumblebee was on his left. Great.

Disorientated, the five teenagers exited the traveling piece of technology to find themselves standing in front of a rather large hedge maze with the barest traces of a house peeking through the tops of the shrubbery. Raven guessed that just teleporting the group to the house would deduct a plethora of points. How unfortunate.

Sarah let them get their bearings for a minute before starting the timer. A glance back told Raven that the assistant was going to be watching the events on a monitor. If a camera happened to accidentally explode, she hoped points wouldn't be docked off.

Cyborg seemed to follow her line of thought, albeit differently. Not wanting to stumble through the maze and waste precious time, he ordered Kid Flash to race ahead to find the exit. He also ordered Kid Flash to come straight back to give his report rather than speak using the communicator. Before the speedster sped off, the cybernetic teenager had Raven rip off a strand of fabric from her cloak for him to drop at intersections in case he forgot the way. The four teenagers only had to wait a couple of minutes for the speedster to return. Sure, they could have just continued on and cover some ground by following the path he was leaving, but they wanted to find out what lay ahead before going on.

Thankfully, Kid Flash seemed to be unharmed. Munching on a banana, he told them, "I didn't see anything out of the norm. Although, the gate leading up to the house does seem a bit… ah, questioning."

Cyborg opened up his mouth to speak, but Bumblebee cut him off. "Where did you get the banana?"

Kid Flash grinned when he saw her expression of envy. "I have a fast metabolism, so I burn a lot of fuel when I'm running. That's why I eat so much. It prevents me from slowing down and whatnot."

"I think you're getting a pouch," Bumblebee informed Kid Flash. "Try eating less."

"Enough," snapped Cyborg. "We're wasting time. KF, what did you mean when you said the gate was questioning?"

"Sweet!" Kid Flash exclaimed. "I have a nickname!"

"Yeah, and it's Kid Mouth," Aqualad muttered.

"Hey!" Kid Flash indignantly cried. "Anyway, the house looks remarkably unkempt, like nobody's been home for at least a decade. Weeds everywhere, and not the good kind, mind you. Just kidding. Don't do drugs; give hugs." Kid Flash then proceeded by attempting to give Raven a hug. Frankly, the empath was tempted to smack him into oblivion.

Cyborg growled in frustration. "Stay focused! We have hostages to rescue and we're not entirely sure what we're going to face. If we're going to talk, we may as well cover some ground."

As the group started speed-walking through the shrubbery mess of a maze, Kid Flash continued with his report. "Anyway, the gate was brand new. There wasn't even a speck of rust. I grew curious and examined the box near it to open it by punching in a code. Since I'm not an idiot, I didn't actually touch it, but I did notice something amiss about it. It was tampered with, and not the breaking in type of way."

"What type of way was it?" Aqualad asked with a tone of exasperation to his voice.

"'The-unbeknowst-to-me' way," chimed Kid Flash.

"No more smart comments for right now. We need to think of a game plan, as well as remain vigilant," Cyborg stated.

For once, Raven spoke up. "Once we get past the gate, I can perform this form of astral projection that will allow me to see what's going on inside the house. Unless they're slacking off and not paying attention, they'll see me, but I should be able to get quickly enough to report. Kid Flash can use his speed to do a quick sweep of the perimeter to ensure there aren't any sentries patrolling around the building."

"If this… astral projection you're talking about is possibly going to blow our cover, shouldn't we just have Kid Flash run inside and check while we go around the perimeter?" Cyborg questioned soundly.

"If this test was to be truly challenging, I'd imagine they'd have traps and things of the sort inside the building to guarantee their safety. If the extreme traps were on the outside, the trespasser would grow to be wary when they actually enter the building. However, if the snares weren't placed on the outside, one might think the security of the place is lacking and they'll let their guard down," Raven explained. _'At least, that's how it was done on Azarath,' _she thought.

"I can understand your point and all," Bumblebee said, "but who's to say there aren't any traps on the inside and outside? I mean, if we follow your logic, our guards should already be down since we haven't faced anything yet."

"To be brutally fair, I'm surprised our behinds haven't been blasted into oblivion yet," Aqualad admitted.

Cyborg paused for a few moments, a thoughtful expression crossing over his features. "Aqualad, you're a genius!"

**-Meanwhile With Robin's Team-**

Robin cursed when he saw the green tangle of grass, roots, and weeds were entangled with land mines. Somebody could easily miss them due to the length and thickness of the plants, but years of working in the field had strengthened his senses. When Beast Boy tried stepping past him, Robin pushed him back with his staff in what seemed to be too forceful since the changeling winced. Be as that may, his point was made.

"The ground is loaded with land mines. I can't really see if they're strategically placed from my line of view, but I'd bet my utility belt that if one detonates, it'll start a chain reaction," Robin attempted to explain his slight brutality.

Beast Boy clicked his tongue. "Sounds risky…. Let's test it out!"

Robin tightly grasped onto Beast Boy's arm. "Don't be an idiot. While these mines are most likely not going to kill you, they're bound to knock you out. Don't try walking across them. Instead, I want you to fly around the house and keep an eye out for guards. They won't be suspicious of a bird, but sending Starfire would definitely sound the warning bells. Check for all possible entry points."

Beast Boy shape shifted into an eagle and took off. He returned five minutes later with news. "There aren't any guards, but there are lasers. Luckily, I noticed before I flew right into them. Anyway, from what I could see, there are only two places you can come in: a ventilation duct with rusted deadbolts and the front door."

"Starfire, can you carry me over to the vent so I can examine it? Beast Boy, can you lift Speedy up into the air a little bit and have him examine the land mine set-up? Being the expert archer he is, he should be able to spot any patterns in the land mines. We can make that turn into an advantage for us," Robin said.

"What about me?" Astoria asked, hand on her hip.

Robin scratched the back of his neck. "Er… Stand guard?"

Astoria frowned before tugging Robin towards her by his shoulder. Angrily, she whispered, "Look, you can be screwing my friend for all I care, but it's really pissing me off how you're acting all high and mighty and not treating the rest of us with respect." Astoria backed away and loudly said, "I'll be happy to stand guard for you guys. However, if I get ambushed again and die, you _so_ owe me a thousand dollars."

**-Meanwhile With Cyborg's Team-**

"What makes you think they placed land mines throughout the yard?" Kid Flash asked Cyborg as the cybernetic teenager examined the special entry system.

Cyborg shrugged. "It acts as defense to the building while having the goons inside having to avoid facing the wrath of this biting wind."

"Well, instead of wasting time trying to figure out how a stupid box works, why don't we just climb the gate or subject Raven to carrying our weight to the other side? Or teleport. Either one works," stated Kid Flash.

With an idea forming in her head, Raven grabbed the banana peel that Kid Flash was still hoarding around from his hand and threw it over the gate. Instead of simply flying over the gateway, it rebounded backwards with astonishing speed. A faint crackling sound was heard, as well as a faint sizzle when the now blackened banana peel was clearly visible.

"Yeah, I'd veto that idea," Aqualad told his friend, clapping him on the back.

"How do we go on?" Bumblebee asked, clearly dumbstruck.

"Cyborg, press the talk button on the code box and see what happens," Raven ordered monotonously,

Seeing that Raven had the beginnings of a shield around him, Cyborg cautiously pressed the button and waited for all hell to break loose. Thankfully, the only thing that happened was a hologram appeared. That in itself wasn't entirely reassuring. Especially after it spoke.

"_The fruition of passages reveals naught but fire,  
>A rise of calamity, wreaking through like a bonfire.<br>Beyond this gate, you shall find naught but despair,  
>The embrace of its iron fist; stuck forever in its lair.<br>Hand in hand, half in half, found together with a click,  
>An illusion of sorts, once baffling an era with thy trick.<br>Without one or the other, entry cannot be achieved,  
>An incorrect answer, changing what thy has once believed.<br>With valuable time running out, make your guess,  
>Tick, tock— How would thee describe me best?"<em>

"That doesn't even make sense!" Kid Flash exclaimed, pulling a Beast Boy by flailing his arms around like a child having a tantrum.

"There's no point in having a riddle if there's no solution," Aqualad said sagely as he raked his fingers through his imaginary beard.

"I agree," Raven said softly. The riddle was reminding her of Earth's impending doom when Trigon would eventually rule. "The beginning sounds like a warning, so we want to make sure we have the correct answer. The fire in the riddle can be used in its literal sense, or it can be symbolic. To me, it sounds like Cyborg's land mine theory best describes that part of the riddle."

"Great! Is that the answer? I think not," hissed Kid Flash.

Bumblebee sighed. "We're not going to get anywhere if—"

Bumblebee's sentence was cut off as she was hurled into a hedge. A man advanced on her, the silver of his knife glinting in the available rays of sunlight streaming through the hedging. Bumblebee tried escaping, but thorny vines were clinging to her wrists, slowly inching upwards. The more she thrashed around, desperate to escape, the deeper the thorns cut into her what would be festering flesh. Shrinking into her insect-size self would have been suicide. To make matters worse, the hologram started counting down.

Raven wrapped the man that was threatening her friend in her aura and sent him flying in the opposite direction, his knife clattering uselessly underneath his girth. Unfortunately, her victory was short-lived. A man, at least a hundred pounds heavier than her and packed with muscle, snuck up behind her and pinned her arms together in a vice-like grip. Raven swung her leg backward, aiming for that golden spot. Seeing what she was trying to do, he twisted out of the way and grabbed her leg, upsetting her balance.

Meanwhile, Cyborg was fending off three of his assailants. Regrettably, the lack of space prevented him from using his sonic cannon without putting his teammates in danger. Gritting his teeth, he lifted one of the men off the ground and flung him at the guy crouching up behind Aqualad. "Stay focused on the riddle! We have your back!" he shouted, narrowly avoiding a punch to the face.

That wasn't very reassuring to the Atlantean. Bumblebee was still struggling with the vines snaking up her forearms, Raven was thrashing around like a madwoman in her captor's tenacious grip, Kid Flash was in the middle of a dizzying mosh pit, and Cyborg was slowly getting pushed back away from the gate. Nonetheless, answering the riddle seemed to be their only hope. The downside was that he now only had a minute to dredge up a sound answer. Easy peasy.

Aqualad thought about the main part of the riddle, not wanting to think about the gruesome warning. _Without one or the other, entry wouldn't be granted. That much was already stated. What was the key element in entering a place? … Wait, key! Yes, that's it. If a room is locked, you need a key (well, unless you kick the door down…). In order for a key to work and not be rendered useless, you need a… lock! Does that fully solve the riddle, though? Sometimes, you would hear a little click when a lock and key become one, and without the other half, they're there for nothing. Several centuries ago, humans would have been baffled by this 'magic trick'. They would probably think it was a form of sorcery. Yes, he had the answer. Or, at least, it was the best solution he could possibly come up with._

With only five seconds remaining in the countdown, Aqualad desperately shouted, "Lock and key! The answer is lock and key!"

The countdown ceased and it seemed like time had frozen. Then, ever so slowly, the gate started to open, creaking in the slightest. Pleased with himself, Aqualad focused and a nearby hose started erupting with water, which he sent towards their attackers. They dropped to the ground, the sudden pressure bringing them to the world of unconsciousness. With sweat shining on Raven's brow, she freed Bumblebee from her makeshift imprisonment.

"Good job," praised Cyborg, making Aqualad beam.

**-Meanwhile With Robin's Team-**

"Good job," Robin praised his team once they finished stealthily climbing through the ventilation duct.

They silently dropped in an empty chamber. Bringing a finger to his lips, Robin tiptoed over to a door and put his ear against it, listening intently for any sounds on the other side. Hearing nothing, Robin cracked it open and looked for any villains on the prowl. Motioning for his team to stay put, he slowly made his way over to a turn in the hallway. No guards. With a plan formulating in his complex mind, he started spraying thin coatings of Batman's explosive gel at evenly spaced intervals. Then, just as Robin was heading back to return to his friends, a deafening alarm started ringing throughout the building. So did Beast Boy's screams.

No longer caring about whether he was heard, Robin sprinted to the room they had initially entered. Beast Boy was hanging upside down in an elevated cage, spikes threatening to tear away his skin. After Robin saw this, several androids started swarming inside the room.

"Starfire, try freeing Beast Boy! Speedy, get ready to do perform combat move six!"

Rolling her eyes, Astoria smashed the heads of two robots together. Starfire was trying to save Beast Boy from suffering a death of impalement by bending the spikes backwards so they were no longer blocking the cage door. Speedy gripped Robin's hand, spun him around before letting go to let the acrobatic teenager fly gracefully towards their opponents, and released two arrows that arched upwards, heading on opposite ends of the width of the room. Two seconds later, two barrels exploded, crumbling at least five robots in the process and almost knocking Astoria off her feet.

More robots entered the place. Well, you know what they say: Hell hath no fury like an army of robots.

**-Meanwhile With Cyborg's Team-**

As soon the team entered the house via the front door, they were instantly ambushed by furious androids. Bumblebee shrunk to her insect-sized self and started attacking robots from behind. Kid Flash started running with his immense speed and was pulling out the cords that allowed them to operate. Raven was blasting the robots apart, often shouting out her mantra to complete greater feats. Cyborg was punching the heads off of his opponents, trying to redeem himself.

Amidst the chaos, Cyborg yelled to Aqualad, "Go with Kid Flash and save the hostages! Watch out for any traps. Raven, Bumblebee, and I should be able to handle this."

Aqualad nodded, and Kid Flash, having heard the conversation, raced over and sped away, carrying the Atlantean away from the battle. When they were several feet away from the closest robot, the speedster set his companion down, grumbling about how he needed to lay off the fish sticks. Nonetheless, they changed their uniform mode to stealthy and began traveling throughout the house, looking for a suitable place to hide a number of hostages.

Ten minutes later, they came across a suspicious looking bookshelf. Noticing how a book was angled to the left and jutting out slightly, Aqualad removed it from its literary companions, revealing an obvious red button. When he pushed it, the bookshelf slid away, showing the two teenagers a dark hallway. Lighting up a torch, Kid Flash took the lead and began following the path.

Thankfully, their efforts proved to be worth it. Trapped behind a room of impenetrable glass were seven civilians. Standing guard was a machine designed similarly to Red Tornado. Despite how cool he looked, he angered the two teenagers on a rescue mission by immediately going on the offense. Kid Flash sprinted around the robot, trying to flummox him. Then, Kid Flash suddenly came out of his red blur and executed a marvelous uppercut. Aqualad chucked a chair at the machine and focused, causing the sprinklers overhead to start spurting out water. Quickly, Kid Flash found a lengthy piece of rope and quickly tied the robot up.

"How do you free these people?" asked Aqualad, managing to look intimidating. Is everybody getting private lessons from Batman nowadays?

Surprisingly, the robot looked angry. Monotonously, it said, "The console should allow you to free the prisoners."

Not needing to be told twice, Kid Flash went over to the console and began pecking furiously at the keys. He smirked when the glass slid down, allowing the people taken hostage to stumble out of the room. Unfortunately, a counter appeared on the screen of the console.

Hurriedly, Kid Flash fished his T-Communicator from his food storage container and called Cyborg, "Get out of here! The place is rigged to blow in five minutes!"

Aqualad could hear Cyborg's response. "Do you have the hostages?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately, the pesky fiend didn't tell me that freeing them involved having the place blown to bits. Get out of here, now! Aqualad and I will get the hostages out in time." Aqualad could practically hear the _'I hope' _at the end Kid Flash's sentence.

Aqualad was about to ask the machine if there was a closer exit when he saw something glinting in the corner of the room. He gingerly picked it up, recognition clearly showing on his face. It was the talisman Arista had given him on the night she died, the one that had missing. And it was destroyed.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kid Flash asked quietly from over Aqualad's shoulder.

Aqualad nodded somberly and gripped tightly onto the remaining pieces of the talisman. It felt like another piece of Arista was torn away from him. It was excruciating, painstakingly so. But, they had a job to do.

A little less than four minutes later, an ugly explosion shook the earth, sending debris flying in every direction. The teenagers were huddled together on the other end of the house, away from the taxing maze. The hostages, revealed to be cleverly built androids, were shut down by Sarah Simms.

In the end, Cyborg's team had raked up more points, winning by three tenths of a point. Personally, they all thought the prize was pretty lame: a chance to omit one of their grades from a class of their choice. However, Astoria seemed to think it would be pretty useful in Atom's class, which she seemed to in danger of failing. So, she seemed genuinely upset.

Their fifth period, involving math and science, was extremely dull. They received their latest tests, and Kid Flash was rather pleased with himself when he saw he had gotten a perfect score, beating everybody in the class, including Robin and Cyborg. What a shocker.

In Literature, Zatanna had them take their tests on the unit they had just completed. Everybody was thrilled that it was a gazillion times easier (and shorter) than Atom's latest test.

Team Training breezed by fairly quickly, with them working on trust exercises and things of that nature. At the end of the class period, Flash had promised the teenagers that their next lesson would definitely be more entertaining. Based on the lazy grin on his face, they didn't doubt his statement.

Their final class was where the end of the day became a little spicier. They were expecting to be taught by Stargirl and Power Girl again (something the guys had been enjoying entirely too much), but were surprised to see Wonder Woman and Batman standing a cold distance away from each other. Man, if looks could kill….

The two founding members of the Justice League had the thirty students they were teaching run a couple of laps before making them participate in a grueling obstacle course. They had to run and jump over hurdles, crawl underneath barbed wire, hop through a bunch of tires, climb up a wooden platform using a rope, swing across what looked like a swamp of acid, and climb back down a rope. Three times each.

"You know," Bumblebee murmured in Cyborg's ear, "I think there's some unresolved sexual tension between the Amazon and Dark Knight."

Cyborg looked at the Bumblebee, clearly amused. "Do you think that holds true for everybody?"

"Nope. Just them and Raven and Robin," she told him. He had no chance to respond because it was his turn to complete yet another round of sweating like a snowman in a sauna. Or a Martian surrounded by a blazing fire. Either one works.

At the end of the class, there was still some time remaining. Mischievously, Bumblebee asked Wonder Woman if she and Batman would race against each other, seeing as how there were two courses, next to each other.

Wonder Woman scoffed, sending a quick glare in Batman's direction. "Amazons are warriors born! This man doesn't stand a chance!"

"Whatever you say, Princess," Batman muttered under his breath.

Despite their glaring fest, the two walked over to the beginning point of the course. Risk, a student in Class Tenderfoot, counted down from three before whistling quite loudly, acting as a makeshift bullhorn. Everyone could see that she was holding back by not using her speed. Instead, she was focusing on the training the Amazons underwent to improve their senses and skills. No cheating, whatsoever.

At the end of the race, the two competitors were disappointed to find out that it was a perfect tie. They did flatten the students, however, so they shouldn't be completely murderous. Oh, well.

Several hours later at almost midnight, Robin was just getting out of the shower. After their final class had ended, he had locked himself up in his room, trying to scrounge up more information on Slade. Like always, he came up with diddly squat. He shook his head, sending droplets of water from his damp hair around him. Robin ensured his mask was still in place, not growing slack in the protection of his secret identity. Just as he was about to retire for the night, a piercing scream cut through the still of the night.

And it was coming from Raven's room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

In the lapse of the time passing for the next update, I received a review from an anonymous user asking me why I haven't updated yet, as well as calling me 'dude man'. So, I want to get one thing clear: I write for myself. As much as I appreciate the reviews and alerts, I'm not writing because several people are demanding it. I write for my own pleasure because it's my favorite hobby, along with reading. I'm not going to be one of those authors that wait for a certain amount of reviews or comments before updating. I believe that if writing is a true passion for you, you'll do it regardless of the feedback. My updates may take a while, but you should expect an update at some point. I have this story mapped out, along with the beginnings of a possible sequel. Don't worry – I have every intention of finishing this story. Please, though, don't try to rush me. I would really appreciate it.

Secondly, I'm going to have to give credit to my awesome friend Kolbie. She helped me with the wording of the riddle I came up with. Her version didn't have the gruesome warning part and was definitely shorter and worded differently, but it inspired me to come up with what you saw. I just hope it wasn't rubbish and actually made sense.

Also, if anyone's wondering this, Robin did in fact detonate all that explosive gel. That's how the supply of angry bots ended. Not that it really matters, of course.

**Questions To Think About:**  
>Did Green Lantern and Hawkgirl see Kid Flash?<br>Did Airstorm purposely orchestrate the bumping into Robin thing?  
>Will Bushido talk to Starfire and maybe pursue an actual relationship?<br>What was Cyborg planning during the flying moped debate?  
>Will there actually be a Halloween dance?<br>Why is Astoria so suspicious of Airstorm?  
>Why did Airstorm lie in regards to Argent?<br>How did Aqualad's talisman wind up in that house?  
>How was the talisman destroyed and by whom?<br>Will Wonder Woman and Batman's relationship be patched up?  
>Will Robin be able to find out any information on Slade?<br>Why was Raven screaming?

Thanks for reading!


	18. The Blackest of Stars and Nights

Without an ounce of hesitation, Robin leapt off his bed and raced towards Raven's room. At the moment, he didn't care about where he currently stood with Raven, even if it meant he was a total fool. All he wanted to do right now was to protect her. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay and that she had nothing to worry about as long as she was with him in essence. Most importantly, he just wanted to spend more time with her – maybe, just maybe, be able to keep the daily nightmares at bay. Not just his, but hers. Especially hers.

Robin barged the door open and was surprised by the sight that greeted his masked eyes.

Astoria was looming over Raven's bed, beads of sweat trickling down her epidermis, fists tightly clenched.

Robin halted, apparently puzzled. What was Astoria doing in Raven's room? As soon as Raven's scream broke the placid stillness of the night, he made his way over here. Sure, she could have just been faster than him, which was pretty doubtful. After all, despite learning new material to aid her in combat, Astoria still relied heavily on her powers. Besides, even if she had been admittedly quicker than him, that didn't explain why she was sweating with that air of concentration that sometimes lingered around people, such as students taking a grueling test that was worth a huge portion of their final grade.

And with that, it all clicked.

Astoria was an illusionist. Illusionists were able to make people see what they wished them to see. If abused, the power was highly intrusive and could lead to unpleasant ordeals. Robin wasn't too sure about the technicalities of creating illusions, but he was willing to bet that the power could be used on somebody while they were sleep. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more possible it became. When somebody was asleep, all of their walls were down, making them susceptible to mental attacks.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Robin seethed.

It was like someone had dumped a bucket of freezing water on Astoria. Instantaneously, she gasped as the harsh reality and cold truth started sinking in. After stumbling backwards a few steps, a dizzy spell swept over the illusionist. Shuddering, she fell down on her knees as goose bumps erupted onto her skin. Just as the other members of Class Titan gathered around the outside of the room, memories started flooding into Astoria's mind. A recently sharpened kitchen knife. Azure eyes filled with hatred. Plastering on fake smiles. Pain.

Robin watched as a hissing Astoria reached over and dug her sharp fingernails into her forearm. This seemed to awaken her from whatever she was suffering from. Without looking at the flabbergasted teenagers, she fled the room. She needed her custom medication before another episode wracked her body. This mere thought somehow made her completely forget about what she had been doing in Raven's room. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Astoria thought the situation was weird.

Back in Raven's room, Speedy had just asked what happened. He said he had heard screaming and grew wary. The others agreed, watching as Raven, who had jolted awake as soon as Astoria had faced that strange reaction, stared off into space with a haunted expression about her. They winced upon seeing damaged furniture in her room.

Quietly, Robin asked them to allow him to spend some time with Raven to calm her down a bit. He wanted to find out if she would be okay away from their prying ears. Reluctantly, Robin's fellow class members agreed. If anybody could help Raven, it was him.

Robin closed the door as quietly as possible before striding over to where Raven sat on her bed. She watched him with fear apparent in her wide eyes. Without the need of any words being uttered, Robin gingerly encircled an arm around Raven's waist, slowly rubbing her back, while the other comfortingly brushed her hair back, his touch gentle and calming. Raven buried her face into his bare chest, in that perfect position in the crook of his neck. After a few moments passed, Robin began whispering soothing words in another language in her ear.

Raven didn't bother trying to decipher his words. She allowed his familiar, yet comforting, voice calm her nerves. She focused on how nice – and distracting – his embrace was. Not once in her life had she ever been comforted and told that everything would be alright. Not even by her own mother. Raven found this to be immensely refreshing. She welcomed it entirely.

Half an hour must have passed when Robin's gentle words ceased. Robin moved away from the emotional empath, but still stayed in close proximity. Ever so gently, he wiped away the few stray tears that had leaked out of her eyes with his thumb. He pressed a light kiss on her forehead, brushing back a piece of her hair.

Raven was astonished, to say the least. The academy wasn't wildly spinning out of orbit and nothing was being blown to smithereens. She supposed it must be a miracle. Another thing that stunned her was what had happened to put her in her current state. She had caught a glimpse of Astoria; everything else was a hazy blur.

Shocking herself further, Raven asked, "Do you ever get nightmares?"

Robin flashed a weak smile as memories of that fateful night of the death of his parents consumed him for a short period of time. "All the time," he told her quietly.

Raven squeezed his hand in reassurance, letting him know that if ever needed to talk about it, she would always be there for him. She smiled when he squeezed back. Softly, Raven questioned her companion, "You're not going to push for details about what I saw?"

"Why would I do that, Raven? They're your thoughts, meaning they belong to you. Nobody else has the right to intrude on that privacy. However, if you ever need to talk about some things, I just want you to know that I'll be here for you, no matter what."

"I'm sorry, Robin. For what happened earlier. You didn't deserve that – the pettiness I was dumping on you, I mean. I was pathetic," Raven told him with a rueful tone to her voice.

With their fingers now laced together, Robin told Raven, "Don't you ever say that, Raven. You are amazing, whether you want to be or not. I will _always _hold you in the highest regards because you've earned my respect and I have faith in you. But, sometimes, you have to put yourself out there and seize that perfect moment. Because if you don't, you may never get that chance again."

Raven wasn't sure how his advice applied to her latest plight, but she wound up memorizing his words. Biting on her lip thoughtfully, she looked down and examined their entwined hands. Robin's thumbs were tracing small circles on her hands, which managed to soothe her. His grip was firm and she felt safe under his wing of understanding and protection.

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Robin had just closed his eyes in a bout of sleepiness when Raven blurted, "Why don't we go somewhere?"

Robin snapped his eyes open and studied Raven curiously. "What did you have in mind?"

Blushing, Raven said, "Oh, I don't know. Paris, maybe?"

To tell the truth, Robin was surprised by Raven's destination choice. Paris was referred as the City of Love. Considering how he and Raven weren't in a relationship as of yet, he was staggered by her wanting to go there with him. However, he didn't voice his thoughts. "We aren't allowed to use the launching pods right now."

"I thought you weren't afraid of a little risk," Raven whispered.

"I'm not," he murmured.

"Prove it."

"Fine. Just let me get changed." And with that, Robin left the room.

Raven scrambled up off the bed and pulled out black skinny jeans and a ruffled red and black plaid blouse. She was just slipping on black flats when a knock sounded on her door. "Just a minute," she called as she walked over to her dresser. Carefully, the Azarathian arranged a black wig on her head, making sure her actual hair wasn't visible.

Instead of meeting Robin in the hallway, she opted for opening the door and yanking him inside her room. She smirked when she saw him stumble a little bit. He was wearing a gray V-neck that defined his muscles and simple jeans. Unsurprisingly, sunglasses prevented her from seeing his eyes.

"You don't want to been seen," Robin voiced her thoughts.

"Well, yeah. If they see us, we'll never hear the end of it. Besides, it'll make the likelihood of us getting caught higher," she told him.

Robin ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, so we'll do this my way."

"I'm not crawling through vents," Raven said seriously.

"Of course not! There are pain-in-the-ass-for-hacking cameras in those vents."

Raven lifted her hands in frustration. "Who puts cameras in vents!?"

Deadpanned, Robin said, "Batman."

"Why?"

Still looking impassive, Robin told her, "You'd be surprised about what can happen there."

"Seeing as how I didn't even want to travel through the apertures in the first place, can you just tell me whether or not there are cameras on the transportation deck?"

"They only installed cameras in points of access, excluding the hallways. So, yes, there are cameras on the transportation deck."

"Can you hack into the feed and make it so the cameras shut off near the launching pods for a minute or two?" Raven queried.

Understanding dawned on the gothic empath's companion. "You're planning on transporting over there to avoid the risk of getting caught. Why don't you just teleport to Earth?"

"It's too far of a distance," Raven explained. "If I attempt it, I'll, well, die."

Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I never attempted to hack the cameras on the transportation deck. I just know they're there. Seeing as how I don't know how many encryption codes there are, I don't want to risk it. However, I might be able to sneak down to the monitor room and distract whoever is on duty…."

Raven's face paled in dread. "Just what are you planning?"

-Twenty Minutes Later-

"What did you do?" Raven asked as she entered the launching pod Robin had already set up. The smug expression on Robin's face made her know something was up.

"I may have, uh, snuck into Phantasm's room and broke into his snake collection…."

"That's not it, is it?"

"I may have also dragged him off to Bushido's room…."

Raven let out a little laugh. "Revenge for him beating you in class that one day?"

"Maybe…."

"So, who did you surprise with the snakes?"

"Actually, I just snatched up the giant boa constrictor and sent it sliding along a line launcher, only to fall on Captain Marvel's head. He was running around, screaming his head off as if it was the apocalypse."

Raven snorted. "Captain Marvel? You can't be serious." Despite Raven's flippant attitude, Robin's mentioning of the apocalypse bothered her, dredging up memories of her vivid nightmare.

"I promise you that I'm not yanking your chain. The guy may possess the Wisdom of Solomon, but I swear he acts like a ten year old at times," Robin said. He caught a glimpse of some emotion in Raven's eyes and immediately realized his mistake. Cautiously, he placed his hand on top of hers, hoping the action would be comforting.

Raven weakly smiled, trying her best to erase the images of the cruelty Trigon had been dishing out in her dream. She released a sigh of relief when the transporting piece of technology landed. She was pleased to find that the ride wasn't as nauseating as it had previously been. Nonetheless, the gothic empath exited the launching pod by accepting Robin's assistance.

When Raven realized where they were, she delicately punched Robin in the arm. "How do you mix up Paris with Jump City?"

"I wanted to show you how despite the litter and crime, this city actually possesses a fair amount of beauty. You just have to open your eyes and look. And when I say look, I mean _really look._"

"I never pegged you to be one who stopped to smell the roses," Raven said without realizing she actually said.

Robin smiled. "Looks sure can be deceiving." A pause. "Except, of course, I don't really stop to smell roses."

"Yeah, you're right." Raven paused. "You're definitely more of a daisy person."

"Hey! I resent that."

Raven laughed, somehow able to contain her emotion. She allowed her companion to lead her over to whatever place he had in mind. On the way there, however, he swore under his breath. Raven followed his gaze, looking across the street at what was quickly becoming a scene.

"Dinah! You aren't thinking straight!" yelled a man. He was tall with blond hair and what looked like green eyes from this distance. Although Raven thought he looked pompous, a lot of women probably thought he was the most handsome man they ever came across.

"Oh, I'm thinking clearer than ever! You're just some cheating scumbag!" Dinah, the woman, screamed. Despite looking drunk, the way she carried herself somehow looked familiar. Unfortunately, Raven couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her eyes were blue, while her hair was blonde. Raven imagined that she had previously been wearing heels, but somehow lost them. Either way, she was still pretty tall.

"Dinah," the man said flatly, "you're drunk."

"I am _not _drunk! I only had, like, four drinks!"

"Try ten."

"Whatever!" she exclaimed. "You cheated on me, Ollie! With that cheap whore that had her boobs spilling out of her shirt!"

"We were just dancing!" the man referred to as Ollie declared.

"Oh, it's just a dance until you're shoving your tongue down that slut's throat!"

"Just let me take you home before you do something you regret," Ollie told his angry female companion.

"And why don't you just go to hell before I kick your ass over there myself," Dinah angrily retorted.

Sighing in exasperation, Ollie looked across the street as he grabbed Dinah's arm in order to prevent her from stepping into the path of a speeding car. His eyes started to zero in on Raven and Robin. With speed that astonished Raven, Robin pushed her up against the wall, his face just an inch away from hers.

"Don't lose control," he whispered.

And with that, Robin proceeded to kiss her.

Well, it wasn't really a kiss. Sure, he increased their proximity further, but his lips never actually brushed against hers. Be as that may, his hot breath trailed across the small amount of her neck that was exposed, sending tingles throughout her body and sufficiently managing to warm her up. He skillfully shielded the majority of her face from the average passerby. The black wig composed of long and thick hair also helped people from noticing that kisses weren't actually being received. Trying to relax, Raven closed her eyes and calmed her rampant emotions. Thankfully, the only indication that Robin's closeness was severely affecting her was the shaking of a nearby trashcan.

In all, they looked like teenagers in need of a room before they ripped each other's clothes off. Or, more accurately, Robin was a horndog that needed to attend a sex ed class. Badly.

A few minutes passed when Robin finally released her. "I'm really sorry about that."

"What was that, exactly?" Raven gasped, slightly breathless even though he hadn't actually kissed her.

"Nothing you should worry about," he told her. Typical Robin.

Raven sighed. "Robin!"

"It's not at my liberty to tell you, Raven." One look at him showed her that he was gritting his teeth.

Raven lifted her hands in a form of surrender. "I'm sorry. I just thought I ought to know what was going on considering how I was slammed against a brick wall."

Robin ruffled his hair in exasperation. "First off, I was not that rough. Secondly, I wish you'd drop the subject. I already told you: it's not my place to dish out the information behind my actions."

Raven accepted defeat. After all, she didn't want to argue with Robin. Instead, she'd very much rather enjoy spending time with him and get her mind off of the day's previous events.

"An ice cream shop," Raven said when they stopped in front of a small ice cream parlor named _Creamery Dreamery. _"You have got to be kidding me."

"Hey, nothing makes you feel better than sugary delightfulness," Robin cheerfully said.

He opened the door for Raven, which prompted her into entering the cozy shop. Instantly, a bunch of cheerfulness was thrown her way. The booths were rather unique with the sundae décor on the top. A classic jukebox was fixated carefully in the corner near a small stage. Posters hung on the wall, ranging from advertising latest flavors to showing off pop culture (this category included Superman). The floors were black and white tiles, but the walls were striped in hot pink and black. A large ice cream clock with a small sign held by the cone read 'Time for ice cream!' and hung on the wall by the wide variety of ice cream selections.

Frankly, Raven was surprised that the store was still open, considering how it was past midnight. Aside from the two birds and the worker behind the counter, the ice cream shop was empty. It really didn't surprise her.

According to the worker's name tag, his name was Scott Cooper. He smiled warmly at the teenagers and asked them what they would like. Robin answered, "In a waffle bowl, I would like two scoops of the vanilla and caramel swirl with chocolate syrup and nuts. She would like a brownie sundae; don't forget the sprinkles and cherry on top. Oh, and just a smidge of whipped cream. She would also like strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone, as well as butter pecan. Make sure it's separate, though; together, the two flavors just don't work."

Deciding to pull a Kitten, Raven turned to Robin and coated her voice with a sickly sweet tone. "Oh, Robbie-poo, is this your subtle way in saying I'm fat?"

Instead of Robin answering, it was the worker behind the counter that replied, "A man would have to be off his rocker to think you're fat."

Feeling the slightest bit jealous, Robin asked him, "Don't you have a wife or something?"

"Yeah, I do, in fact. She kicked me out of the house, though. Just for the time being. So, I stay cooped up here and sleep on the sundae booths. They're actually pretty comfy. But, I think she's sleeping with my best friend. His name's Greg. He works here, too, you know," Scott the Worker told them.

"Lovely," Raven muttered.

"You can scratch off the last two orders," Robin told the employee. He secretly wondered if the guy was on drugs.

Three minutes passed before Raven and Robin were safely sitting down away from Scott Cooper. Their seating option placed them near the jukebox, which was softly streaming some tune Raven couldn't identify. Not that that was surprising. The only music she ever heard was when Robin would occasionally blast out his rock music when working out or when Starfire would start singing and humming some bubblegum pop tune.

"This looks way too sweet," Raven told Robin, eyeing the dessert suspiciously.

"Just like you," Robin joked. "Try it, though. I think you'll like it. The overwhelming amount of calories suggests its deliciousness."

Raven frowned. "If all it's going to do is expand my waist line, why should I eat it?"

It was now Robin's turn to frown. "Raven, you could gain a hundred pounds for all I care. You'd still be beautiful to me."

Raven blushed, causing a section of the ice cream counter to explode, bits of ice cream splattering onto Scott Cooper. He screamed, staring in sick awe at the damaged counter. "That's going to come out of my paycheck!" he wailed. "What did you do?" Scott Cooper asked the only other occupants of the room.

Robin quickly came up with a story. "A freak wind burst into the shop. It was pretty strong. I'm surprised you didn't feel it."

"Wind doesn't do that, man!"

"Hence why it's called a freak wind," Robin said, waving his hand as if it was nothing.

With ice cream dripping down his chin, Scott Cooper raced over to the back room. At least, he tried to. Before he could make it two steps, he slid on spilled ice cream. After tumbling to the ground with a shocking lack of grace, he yelped, "Gah! Whoever invented mint chocolate chip needs to be thrown into a pit full of vipers!" And with that, the worker painstakingly crawled to the back, giving the two members of Class Titan some privacy.

Robin gestured to her sundae. "Go ahead and try it."

Raven glanced at the sugary food. Slightly reluctant, she took a tiny spoonful of ice cream, hardly making a dent. Rolling his eyes, Robin snatched the spoon out of her hand and increased the spoonful, making sure to retrieve sprinkles, the warm, gooey chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. Sighing, Raven swallowed the dessert. It was a cold heap of creamy orbs of satisfying vanilla ice cream that imbues a plethora of pleasure to your neglected taste buds. It was ice cream that just melts in your mouth, bathed in just the right amount of chocolate syrup, sweetened further by a considerable amount of whipped cream and a colorful array of sprinkles. It was delicious.

Across from her, Robin was smirking. Oh, how she longed to wipe that smirk off his face….

**-Meanwhile In The Class Titan Tower-**

"They're nowhere to be found," reported Kid Flash, speeding into the main room.

"Oh, no!" Beast Boy cried. "What if mutant space pigeons swept in and took them? What if we're next?"

"Pigeons in space? That's preposterous," scoffed Speedy.

Starfire tightly gripped onto Speedy's arm. "What could have become of our friends?"

Before Speedy, practically Starfire's boyfriend, could answer the beautiful alien, Bumblebee quieted them. Straining her hearing, she managed to hear footsteps echoing outside the door to the tower. "Somebody's coming. It's only one pair of footsteps, though."

Thinking quickly, Cyborg gestured for Speedy and Starfire to stay put. He told Kid Flash to go to Raven's room and make it look like she was sleeping. After that order, he told the speedster to go into Robin's bathroom and turn on the shower. Everybody else quickly raced back to their room, their speed almost rivaling Kid Flash's. Cyborg lingered in the room with the two gingers.

A moment later, Green Arrow entered the room. He did a double take when he saw the three of them casually lounging in the living room. Frankly, it aroused his suspicions even more. "Why are the three of you awake?"

Speedy answered for both himself and Starfire, "We're discussing matters of the heart. A fickle subject, really. Wouldn't you agree, sir?"

Cyborg replied, "I've been searching for the blueprints of a project I recently started working on. I suspect Beast Boy is the culprit and hid it for a good laugh. It's very important to me, so I was just asking Starfire and Speedy if Beast Boy mentioned it. Since they hadn't, I was about to go to my room and recharge." Honestly, the blueprints were safely tucked away in a wooden chest in the back of his closet, secured by two bolts and a handprint sensor.

"What is the project about?" asked Green Arrow, genuinely curious (and sidetracked).

"I'm afraid that's confidential information," was the cybernetic teenager's reply.

The archer was taken aback. Seeing as how it wasn't his main priority at the moment, he shrugged it off. "Where are Raven and Robin?"

"Raven, I'd imagine is asleep. It is, after all, past midnight," Speedy chirped. "Robin was burning a gazillion calories a while ago in the training room. Due to his working out like a madman, I'd imagine he's taking a shower. He did reek, you know."

Not saying a word, Green Arrow swiftly stalked past Cyborg and made his way towards Raven and Robin's room. Cyborg wasn't surprised to find that the Justice League member knew it was in one of the rooms upstairs. In the hallway, Green Arrow met Kid Flash, who was just exiting Robin's room.

"What are you doing?" snapped Green Arrow.

Kid Flash mentally cursed himself out. "Uh, Robin needed help in the shower."

"Why?"

Kid Flash scratched the back of his neck and improvised. "He, uh, fell and called for my help."

"He couldn't handle it himself?" grilled the older hero.

"Uh, no. He was unable to stop the bleeding in his nose. So, he, uh, made me retrieve a, er, tampon for him," Kid Flash said with a surprising straight face, despite his conversational pauses.

The look on Green Arrow's face was priceless. "He _what?_" Kid Flash swore the Star City hero's voice was raised an octave or two in pitch.

Kid Flash continued his tale, "He didn't want to stain the towels with his nose bleed. It was practically gushing out of his nose! So, he stuck the lady device up his nostril, and perfect! It contains it."

An unbelieving Green Arrow pushed past the speedster and was about to enter the room when Kid Flash screamed, "Don't go in there!"

"Why not?"

"He doesn't like when older men see him when he's indecent. It makes him feel violated."

"What's so different about you?" asked Green Arrow.

"We're secret lovers." Straight Face Level: Mastered.

Green Arrow tenaciously continued his interrogation, "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"That's why it's secret," explained the teenaged speedster. "Although, I suppose the term man-mistress would have been a little more appropriate. My bad."

Admittedly, Green Arrow didn't have a true question in response to that remark. Instead, he asked, "What about Raven?"

"Oh, she turns in rather early. Boy, is she a light sleeper, though! One night, Beast Boy decided to go snooping in her room disguised as a fly. He almost didn't escape with his life. With your being my favorite teacher and all, I wouldn't want to see any harm come your way."

"That's why you'll go in first," cheekily said Green Arrow.

Kid Flash mentally kicked himself. His attempt at making a Raven was pretty much a failure. One could easily tell that it wasn't the body of a living person. "You know, I think I recall Green Lantern mentioning a bomb threat in Star City." It was close enough to the truth, after all. He recalled Green Lantern shaking what his momma gave him while doing naughty things to a short-tempered alien, therefore threatening Kid Flash's insanity in the academy's cafeteria. Almost identical, right?

Thankfully, Green Arrow took off, no doubt wanting to protect Star City. As soon as he was out of sight, Kid Flash let out a sigh of relief. _'I so deserve a Grammy for that performance,' _he thought, exhausted. The speedster opened up his food cache and took out a bag of beef jerky and began munching cheerfully on the snack.

**-Meanwhile With Batman-**

Batman rolled his torso backwards in order to avoid a punch before twisting his body in the air, landing a powerful kick on the jaw of the slow henchman that had tried attacking him. With astonishing speed, Batman proceeded to attack the goon by jabbing him in the right kidney, followed by an uppercut that sent the thug's head flying backwards and a perfect form roundhouse kick that ensured the henchman stayed down.

Batman whirled around, facing two criminals in clown masks charging him. Timing his move just right, Batman leapt up into the air to perform a backflip. The two clowns collided into each other, stunned into unconsciousness. Landing soundlessly on the cold floor, Batman removed two batarangs from his utility belt and sent them flying at two more brainless henchmen. Another one tried creeping up behind the Dark Knight, only to get knocked out even though Batman's thoughts were focused elsewhere.

"You just have to ruin everything, don't you, Bats?" Joker spat, standing on a raised platform in the old building.

"Where are the hostages?" Batman asked gruffly, referring to the missing Gotham City citizens Summer Gleeson, Commissioner Gordon, CO Aaron Cash, Fiona Wilson, Jack Ryder, Eddie Burlow, and Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

"You're the detective! Figure it out!"

Batman sent the projectile weapon rocketing towards Joker, who weaved out of the way, cackling. A moment later, a sharply bladed playing card came spiraling into Batman's view, tearing into his skin where his Kevlar suit wasn't reinforced. Despite the pain he felt, he didn't dare let his pain show.

Ceasing his laughing fit, Joker exclaimed, "Haven't you learned by now? Telling you would spoil all the fun! And even if you did find out before the night ends and they're all dead, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!"

Before Batman could speak, a hammer whizzed past the Caped Crusader, narrowly missing him. A flick of his head to the side showed that a large man had entered the room, carrying a very large hammer in one hand. He possessed no other arm; just a stump. A sadistic smile crept up his face, adding to his grotesque clown appearance.

"Ooh. You're getting sloppy, Bats. Is the old age finally getting to you? Does Mister Hammer actually pose a threat to you? This day just keeps getting better and better," guffawed Joker.

Batman backflipped in order to avoid a blow from the large hammer Mister Hammer was swinging. As soon as he landed, however, two more weaponized playing cards ripped his skin, drawing blood. Apparently, the Joker had finally decided to join the fray, as well as ten or so more goons.

Twisting his body, Batman sent a powerful aerial kick to the head of the strongest looking henchman, excluding Mister Hammer. Yelling in agony at the pressure applied to his eyeballs, the clown stumbled backwards, running back into the Joker, who had jumped down his platform. Not finding this little display amusing, Joker snatched the ax out of his henchman's hand and chopped his head off clean with three blows. The short amount of time of screaming was cringe-worthy, the sounds echoing off the walls eerily, amplifying the guttural noises of agony.

By the time the head was removed from its body, two henchmen had been taken down. Leaping into the air, Batman launched his batclaw, yanking one of Joker's assistants towards him, while knocking him into another bad guy. Batman felt Mr. Abramovici swing his hefty hammer and prepared himself to feel excruciating pain as he was unable to dodge it.

Only he didn't.

A raucous sound was emitted from the Abramovici twin, probably out of confusion. It was completely understandable, considering how his preferred weapon was no longer in his grasp.

"Got youself a little girlfriend, eh, Bats?" Joker shrilly exclaimed.

Just then, Catwoman touched down to the ground gracefully in Batman's line of vision, whip in hand. "Hello, boys. I suppose I should be disappointed. After all, my invitation for this purr-fect party got lost in the mail. Shame. This kitten was looking forward to sinking her claws into something new."

"Kill her," wheezed the Crowned Prince of Crime.

With uncanny skill, Catwoman pivoted, yanking a thug by his shirt to act as a shield for a bullet aimed for her skull. Once the blood started leaking through his shirt, the famous cat burglar tossed him onto the filthy floor. Quickly, she slid on the floor, sending a bola at a man closing in her. She didn't stick around to watch him plant his face into the ground due to the immobility in his legs on behalf of her weapon.

Meanwhile, Batman was fighting Mister Hammer, who was viciously trying to swat him like an annoying fly with his one arm. Somersaulting out of the way, Batman swiftly sprayed explosive gel onto a batarang. Diving out of the way of another assault, Batman aimed the batarang and released. A second before it came in contact with Mister Hammer's face, he slammed his thumb down on the trigger, which detonated the explosive gel. Fortunately, Mister Hammer was down for the count. Now, the biggest threat was Joker, who was trying to shoot Catwoman down, which was rather difficult since she was rapidly moving about as she tackled on Joker's followers.

Deciding to aid his occasional ally, Batman sent a batarang flying at Joker's hand, successfully knocking the gun out of Joker's grip. Socking a hoodlum in the face on the way, Batman lifted Joker off the ground, his hold on his neck very strong.

"Where. Are. The. Hostages?" growled Batman, ignoring the grunts and groans of Catwoman's assailants.

"That's the question now, isn't it? Why don't you ask Penguin? They're probably hiding in that belly of his. Certainly enough room." Despite the increasing lack of oxygen, Joker still managed to laugh maniacally.

Sending his fist backwards, Batman sent a henchman in hopes that he could rescue his leader flailing backwards, slipping on his club. He reestablished his tight grip on Joker before saying, "People's lives are at stake. If you don't tell me in the next five seconds, I will personally attend to your cell at Arkham and make sure it can't be breached."

"There's _always _a way out, Batman. I learned that from you! But, okay, fine. Since you're _sooo_ insistent, I'll deliver the punch line."

Before Batman could speak, Joker pressed a button on a trigger hidden on his person. Chortling, Joker escaped Batman's grip by gaining momentum by kicking his feet off his chest. He smiled, or, rather, smirked, as Joker Toxin started billowing into the room. Without further ado, he scrambled out of the room, but not before blocking off the exit.

Swearing under his breath, Batman lunged for Catwoman and grappled up to a shelf of flooring a few feet from the ceiling. Years ago, when this building was still in use, this small, elevated area was used for storage. Thankfully, there was a grate leading to the roof. Ripping it off its hinges, Batman helped the choking burglar climb through the new exit. He followed.

"Selina, I want you to stay right here. When I come back with Joker's thugs, help pull them up to the surface," Batman ordered, regaining his breath quickly. After a nod in affirmative from Catwoman, Batman quickly slipped on a gas mask before jumping back into the building.

Five minutes later, every single one of Joker's men were on the rooftop. Unfortunately, almost half of them were dead, having spent their final moments in a horrendous laughing fit. Leaving it to Catwoman to tie the thugs up, Batman purified the building, preventing the toxin from entering the Gotham air later that night.

"That looks pretty serious. Allow me to tend to it," purred Catwoman.

To Batman's dismay, she advanced on him, swaying her hips seductively. Her ebony costume with gray highlights was skintight, not leaving much to the imagination. Black lace-up heeled boots covered her feet, although believing the heels would slow her down would be a grave mistake. Selina's hands were clad in gloves with retractable claws, perfect for the opportunity to scratch an opponent efficiently. A zipper in the front was zipped up to her bust line, revealing an overwhelming amount of cleavage. She was wearing her signature cowl with the cat ears, but the goggles she often wore was pulled up, revealing her striking green eyes. She practically represented sensual feminine pulchritude.

"Stop," ground out Batman, stepping back.

"Why? I won't bite," Catwoman softly said.

Before Batman could retreat further, Selina's hand was firmly gripping onto his uninjured shoulder. She let her hot breath trail across the exposed skin of his jaw before examining his wound. Tentatively, she pressed the lightest of kisses to a tiny patch of skin just above the bleeding wound.

"Selina, I'm serious."

"When are you not? But, believe it or not, I actually came here for a reason."

"Selina, I don't have time for your little games. I need to rescue the civilians before Joker gets his hands on them again."

"Just give me five minutes to tell you my story. After that, I'll help you retrieve the hostages. Deal?" Catwoman placed a hand on her hip.

"Three minutes."

Selina sighed. Sometimes, she had absolutely no idea how she had grown to care for this man. "Do you remember when I told you about my suspicions in regards to Two-Face?"

"I may have been knocked out quite a bit since then, but I still possess my long-term memory, Selina," dryly responded the Caped Crusader. The memory that stood out in his mind the most, however, was how Diana tricked him and drugged him with a powerful sedative. He even tried to avoid looking Alfred in the eyes since then.

"I have reason to believe he harmed my roommate, Holly Robinson. She can handle herself, you know. She was shot in the thigh after leaving work one night. She couldn't see her attacker's face, but she managed to draw him away by crippling his hand. He left a double barreled shotgun. And you and I both know how Harv loves revolving his life around two."

"Selina, it could have been anyone."

"You're wasting my time to speak, Batman. Anyway, I did some sleuthing, which is definitely harder than I gave you credit for, by the way. I found out from one of Two-Face's henchmen by the Solomon Wayne Courthouse that Harvey was planning on making a trip to Asia. I don't know when, but it's soon. And it's going to be big."

"How can I be entirely sure you're telling me the truth, Selina?" Batman questioned.

Catwoman said, "I made a tape recording of it, Mr. Detective. It's back at my apartment right now. We could go get it and you could listen to it. Maybe make some music of our own?"

"Selina. It's been four minutes and twenty-three seconds. The hostages," Batman said impatiently, pushing past the undeniably attractive female. "You coming?"

Catwoman looked over her shoulder to see the Batwing hovering just above the flat surface of the old warehouse. She studied the world's famous vigilante for a few seconds, quickly coming to a conclusion. _'Who the hell managed to capture his cold heart?' _she thought, examining her claws.

Shaking her head, she placed her goggles firmly in place and followed Mr. Detective to what she could only presume to be her doom.

**-Meanwhile With Wonder Woman-**

Diana sighed. She was facing her doom, no doubt about that. Here she was, Champion of the Amazons, reduced to a poor, sniveling being in front of the television, stuffing her face in utterly fattening ice cream as she battled insomnia. All over a man.

But, he wasn't an ordinary man. He was more than that. There was more to him than even he realized. He was more than Batman, the Dark Knight that prowled the streets of Gotham at night in order to protect innocent people by instilling fear into those that plague the world with evil. He was more than Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire playboy. Watching his parents gunned down in front of him as a little boy had hardened his soul, yes, but it had also softened him in some ways. He was stronger than any warrior, perhaps even she. But, no. There was more to his complex character than that; it was something that even she couldn't entirely put her finger on.

Sighing, she scooped up another spoonful of chocolate ice cream from the container and shoved it into her mouth, hardly savoring the sweet taste. She tried focusing on the program playing on her plasma screen, given to her on behalf of Wayne Enterprises, a present from Bruce. Of course, that just dredged up even more memories of him, including their dance in Paris, the day she had figured out his alter ego. Feeling bittersweet, she thought, _'Hera, why do I have to be so stubborn?'._

A knock sounded at the door.

Surprised, Diana accidentally sent the ice cream jar careening backwards over the couch. To her dismay, her strength had allowed her spoon to lodge itself resolutely in the wall of her apartment. Sighing, she stood up and made her way to the door, ignoring the melting ice cream on her carpet. Picking it up now would serve no purpose for she would need to buy carpet cleaner to rid the carpet of its stains. Besides, the hammering of the door on behalf of whoever was on the other side was beginning to give her a headache.

Wonder Woman's visitor surprised her. Seeing Hawkgirl decked out in civvies around two in the morning was bound to startle you, too, after all. Without saying a word, Shayera pushed past the Amazonian princess and entered the usually pristine apartment.

"Shayera, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Diana asked, shutting the door.

Shayera sighed. "Look, I know we've had our differences, but I still consider you a valued friend, Diana. You've helped me in my times of need and I fear that I may be in need of your assistance yet again."

Diana shook her head in confusion at this intake of information. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're trying to tell me, Shayera. Please explain."

"All I ask is that you don't judge me," the Thanagarian said with a desperate tone to her voice.

"You have my word," replied a somber Diana.

Shayera started playing with her fingers in apparent frustration. Speaking quickly, almost like peeling a bandage off, Shayera said, "I slept with John." The Thanagarian paused for a moment and studied Diana. "Er, you do know what that means, right?"

Diana flushed, recalling how naïve she used to be in Man's World. "As hard as it is for you believe, I do. Wasn't John engaged to Vixen, though?"

Shayera winced. "He still is. I didn't mean for it to happen, though. I was aboard the academy, filing some lesson plans in my office. I got hungry and decided to go to the cafeteria to get a bag of chips or something. Surprisingly, John was there getting some coffee. I didn't want to be rude, so we talked for a little while. One moment we're talking, and the next… we're kissing. One thing led to another and before I could fully realize what was happening, we were having sex."

"I'm sure he doesn't think any less of you, Shayera. After all, it takes two to tango," Diana said, trying to soothe her distraught friend.

"That's not even the worst part," Shayera hysterically declared. "We didn't use a condom so there's the possibility I'm going to wind up pregnant. And Diana, I know in my heart that any child of John's will be absolutely amazing, but I'm not ready to be a mother."

Diana rubbed her temples for a minute or so before saying, "How long has it been since the two of you did the deed?"

"It's only been a couple of days," informed the Thanagarian. "I would have told you sooner, but I just needed some time to wrap my head around it. As you've probably noticed, I haven't done a very good job at it."

"Okay, so in about a month, we could go out and get a pregnancy test. Then, you will know for certain."

"Diana, people are bound to recognize us. If I can't tell John about this, I don't want the whole damned world knowing!" fretted Shayera.

"The world recognizes Wonder Woman, not Diana Prince. Trust me, Shayera. Everything will work out for the better in the end," said Diana wisely.

"There's more," hiccupped Shayera. "I've grown to be friends with Mari. It hurts me to hear her droning on and on happily about her future wedding. Now, it'll just kill me to even look her in the eye. As much as it pains me to admit it, she deserves a good, happy, stable life. John can provide that for her. I probably ruined all of that, though. If she finds out about what happened… she'd never forgive me."

"I'm sorry, Shayera, but she's going to have to find out about it at some point. Telling her is the right thing to do. If it was the other way around, I know you wouldn't want to be living in ignorance."

"If I can't come to terms with it, I won't be able to tell Mari. The news will kill her. I'm surprised I managed to tell you! And, I fear it gets worse. When I was with John, I heard the slight, barely audible creak of the door opening and closing. Someone saw us."

"Do you know who it was?" inquired the Amazonian.

"I couldn't see the door, Di. But if word of what happened gets around and Mari hears word of it, I could possibly be facing my execution."

Diana cringed upon seeing her friend's deflated appearance. "You have to tell her before somebody else does. I know it's going to be hard, but it's doing the right thing that counts." With those words said, Diana enveloped her friend into a hug.

"They're going to hate me," sobbed Shayera.

"If it's any help, I'll stand by you. Despite our differences, I still consider you a valued friend," echoed the Princess of Themyscira. "And friends stick by their friends' sides, even in their darkest hours."

"Thank you, Diana," Shayera genuinely told her, her eyes moist. "You don't know how much that truly means to me." Shayera pulled away. "Now, do you have any strawberry ice cream? I sure could use some." She smiled weakly.

Diana smiled feebly in return, truly feeling for the Thanagarian. It seemed she could partially relate to the other female founding member of the Justice League. And she was willing to help her along the way, especially if she did turn out to be pregnant. That was a promise.

**-Meanwhile With Raven And Robin-**

"It wasn't all that bad, was it?" Robin asked, walking beside Raven on the now deserted streets of Jump City.

"No, it wasn't," admitted Raven. The residue taste of an ice cream sundae still lingered on her breath.

Robin grew serious. "My mother once said that sometimes, you just have to stop listening to your brain, take a leap of faith, and listen to your heart. Which is why I must ask, are you having fun, Rae?"

Raven's heart fluttered upon hearing those words and his nickname for her. She didn't dare mention that, though. She answered truthfully, "We could probably be in a desert right now and I'd be having fun if you were by my side."

"I'm pleased to hear I'm just that entertaining," Robin cheekily said, to which Raven elbowed him.

Suddenly, Raven stopped. They were in front of Malchior's bookstore. A banner was hanging in front of the small shop. Although the darkness surrounding them made it difficult, Raven managed to read a quick notice on how the store was closing. And it was all her fault as a particular memory slammed into her.

"You know what? I left this communicator Cyborg made back at the ice cream parlor. Do you think you can get it for me?" Raven felt bad for lying to Robin, but if her instincts were right and Malchior was inside, she wanted some privacy.

"Sure. But, will you be safe?" Robin asked earnestly, obviously concerned for her safety.

"I'll be fine," Raven reassured him.

Raven watched him walk down the sidewalk. Once he had turned the corner, she opened the door, thankful that it was unlocked.

"We're closed," a voice ground out from the counter. The owner looked up, recognition dawning on him. "Oh, it's you. Here to gloat, are you?"

"Malchior, I never wanted this store to close. There's a good selection of books here. Things have just been hectic lately. I wish I could have fulfilled my promise to ensure this store didn't close."

"Too late for that now, isn't it?" spat Malchior, looking older than he did the last time Raven had set eyes on him.

Raven sighed. "What would it take to revive the store?"

"A store isn't a living thing, Raven! You can't just revive it!"

"This store is practically your life. That's close enough to me."

Malchior considered this, his gaze cold. "For this store to continue on, it can't continue with its limping. In order for this store to _survive, _half of the merchandise would have to be sold."

"I promise I'll help you. Soon."

"Why should I believe you? You made that same promise the night I bailed your friend out of jail," Malchior said with a note of sadness.

"Look," Raven said, "I promised you that I would help you keep this shop moving along. I feel guilty for not upholding that promise. Please, Malchior. Allow me to help."

Malchior sighed, his attention now fixed elsewhere. "We're closed," he said wearisomely.

Raven looked behind her to see Robin standing there with his hands shoved into his pockets. She didn't know how long he had been standing there.

"Please, Malchior," Raven said, gripping the edge of the counter. She wanted to help her old friend and uphold that promise.

"Fine," he got out. "But, only because I believe people deserve a second chance."

"I won't let you down this time," Raven said, taking her leave.

"Let us hope so. Otherwise, things might change. Now, I suggest you hurry up. There's a storm brewing," Malchior said ominously before pivoting around forcefully to go to the backroom.

Once they were outside, Robin said, "I didn't find a communicator or anything."

"You know what? Now that I think about it… I left it at the academy. Sorry."

Just then, it started raining. Within seconds, they were drenched. Raven looked up at Robin, examining his features. She watched as a particularly large raindrop trickled down his nose, only to land on his lips. Without thinking about it, he licked the water up. His words echoed in her mind, _'But, sometimes, you have to put yourself out there and seize that perfect moment. Because if you don't, you may never get that chance again.' _as well as, _'Sometimes, you just have to stop listening to your brain, take a leap of faith, and listen to your heart.'_

Without a single gram of regret lingering within her, Raven kissed him. Every cell in his body was surprised by her action, although he really had no objection to it. However, he pulled her, holding her hands in his own.

"Is that your way in saying you're willing to be my girlfriend?" Robin said, his voice projecting despite the pattering of the falling rain.

Raven smiled. Her way of answering was by saying, "What's a little risk?"

Robin kissed her.

**-Meanwhile With Batman-**

"The place is closed for renovations," Catwoman said, still finding the whole theory of the hostages being held in the Iceberg Lounge ludicrous.

"It's a cover-up story," Batman said, spraying a hefty amount of explosive gel on the wall. He often infiltrated this place under the guise of Matches Malone, so he knew the place quite well.

"If it's Penguin's little hideout, why is Joker using it?"

"I thought you knew everything around here, Selina. Maybe you should invest in some bigger ears."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Leave the wisecracking to me. Otherwise, one might be led to believe you actually have a sense of humor."

Batman ignored that. "If my Intel is correct, Joker and Penguin have forged a fragile alliance. Besides, Joker hinted Penguin's involvement back at that old building. This place has probably been Joker's true hideout."

He detonated the wall and entered through the small opening that had been granted to him. Sighing, Catwoman followed him. They touched down onto the empty stage. The surrounding area held no clue as to where the hostages were held.

"See? They aren't here," Catwoman purred, walking slowly around him as if to prove her point.

"Get down!" Batman yelled, tackling her to the ground just as a bullet whizzed by, right where her head had been a couple of seconds ago.

"Fancy seeing you here, Batman. And, oh, look, you brought along a soon to be dead tagalong," said a very familiar voice. Penguin.

Batman quickly got up on his feet, watching Penguin, who was surrounded by five gunmen. Penguin was wearing a very large coat, much too big for his short frame, umbrella in hand. He was smiling sardonically.

"One move and the little kitty gets it," Penguin threatened, as his men now pointed their weapons at Selina. His umbrella stay trained on Batman.

Roaring in a very much feline way, Catwoman leapt up into the air, landing behind Penguin. Before the henchmen could blink, she swiftly kicked their leader's feet from under him. Batman sent three batarangs flying at the thugs, knocking the guns out of their hands. Selina dealt with the other two by slamming their heads together with enough force that their skulls were probably cracked. A knee to the face, a powerful roundhouse kick, and two quick jabs to vulnerable areas guaranteed the men wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Flustered, Penguin operated his umbrella, sending acid flying at Catwoman's face. She rolled out of the way, thankfully not coming into any contact with the acid. Growling, she jumped on Penguin's chest, applying pressure to his trachea. "Nine lives, birdie."

A voice sounded on the intercom, but Batman knew the person it belonged to was elsewhere. "Come on, Abner. Surely even you can do better than that!" Joker screeched, mocking Penguin.

Penguin groaned, just as his head was slammed into the shiny floors by Catwoman. She stood up, purposely bumping into Batman. She hoped that one of these days, she would actually be right.

They found the hostages tied up, blindfolded, hanging over the pool area in the club. From what Batman could tell, the water was hypothermic and was infested with mechanical sharks, most likely designed to eat human flesh.

"Batman! Is that you?" Commissioner Gordon asked, his voice carrying over to the ground, magnified due to the structure of the room.

"Hang on a second, Jim. I'm going to free you and the rest of the hostages," Batman said, examining the area. "Do you think you could break the legs off the largest table in the dining area and bring it over here?" Batman asked Catwoman.

"Of course," she replied, slightly offended that he would think otherwise.

Catwoman returned a few minutes later with a particularly large table that bore suspicious claw marks. She shrugged when she felt his eyes boring into hers, despite the lenses of his cowl.

Soon enough, every hostage was placed on the makeshift boat. On the way back, a shark decided to try chomping on it, but Batman swiftly punched it in the nose, sending it back into the depths of freezing waters. Once they were safely back onto solid ground, Batman examined the captives, which was when he came to a realization.

Dr. Harleen Quinzel was missing.

**-Meanwhile In Metropolis-**

"Do you swear to serve us forever and foremost, whether it be living or in death?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to protect us for all eternity, even if it is your blood that will be spilled?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to uphold and honor our virtues and values, even if you should grow to disagree?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to give yourself up entirely, in spirit, soul, and body, in order to see the destruction wrought upon this planet?"

"I do."

The cloaked figure pulled up their sleeve, revealing a scarred forearm. Without uttering a single word, the figure removed a dagger from its sheath and swiftly cut the exposed flesh in an impeccably straight line. The figure let the drops fall into an ornate golden chalice, allowing it to mix with a thick liquid mixture.

"By drinking from this chalice, you will bind your soul for all of eternity to the hands of evil. This is not to be taken lightly. Do you agree to willingly bind your essence for the sake of our cause?"

"I do."

"And so it shall be."

"And so it shall be."

The other occupant of the foggy room delicately took the chalice from the hands of the cloaked figure before downing it. Despite the room's spinning, the occupant had never seen everything in such clear detail before.

"Welcome to Project Armageddon."

**-A Few Hours Later-**

Even though Starfire had just woken up and had received a significantly less amount of sleep than she normally did, she was feeling completely refreshed and amazing. She had a very strong feeling that today would be absolutely glorious. How very wrong she was.

After taking a quick shower and changing into her costume, Starfire met up with Speedy in the hallway. He beamed when he saw her practically glowing form. He found it incredible how she possessed such a positive spirit.

Be as that may, everything came to a head in the main room. There, sitting on the couch, was a very familiar face. Amethyst eyes looked up, coming into contact with Starfire's. The owner of the odd shade of eye color smiled, as if knowing a very important secret.

"Hello, sister," greeted Blackfire.

* * *

><p><strong>AN -** Favorite part? Least favorite part? Hate? Like? Anything you want to see in the upcoming chapters? Let me know in the reviews.

I'm honestly sorry for the delay for this chapter. I went on vacation to visit family for two weeks and was unable to write during that time. Also, I was a bit uncertain as to go about with the angle of this chapter. In all, I'm actually quite pleased with how this is going to set things in transition.

**Questions To Think About:**  
>What was Astoria doing in Raven's room?<br>What was with Astoria's reaction?  
>What will Bushido do upon waking up?<br>Will Captain Marvel figure out who was behind the boa constrictor escapade?  
>Did Oliver and Dinah break up?<br>What are Cyborg's blueprints of?  
>Will Green Arrow question Kid Flash's story in the future?<br>Why would Two-Face attack Holly?  
>Why is Two-Face planning on going to Asia?<br>Will Selina learn about Batman's relationship to Wonder Woman?  
>Is Hawkgirl pregnant?<br>What will become of John's engagement to Vixen?  
>Will Shayera tell John or Mari about what happened?<br>Will Shayera find out who saw her with John?  
>How will Raven guarantee that Malchior's shop will be okay?<br>What was up with Malchior's parting words?  
>Where's Dr. Harleen Quinzel?<br>Who were the occupants in the foggy room in Metropolis?

Thanks for reading!


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